Dunleavy pre-Draft transcript: on Kuminga, patience, 2nd rounders, “getting better in the middle”
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Here are some takeaways from the annual Warriors pre-Draft interview with general manager Mike Dunleavy, Jr. The Q&A went about 20 minutes and, per usual, didn’t reveal too much about the 41st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft second round on Thursday, so here are the more impactful topics below, plus the full video.
[Entire transcript is below the paywall which will be lifted by the next article posted]
“TRAITS” VERSUS “TRADES”
The SF Chronicle’s Sam Gordon asked about traits Dunleavy looks for in a draftee and Mike thought he was asked about “trades”, but they figured it all out after a few laughs. Ftr, I also heard “trades” my first run-through.
FALLING ON THE SWORD?
It seemed like MDJ took the blame for having too many playable guys after training camp last season (aka the De’Anthony Melton blueprint, as I like to call it): “Last year going into the season, we really leaned into depth and it was good for us in some ways. I think in some ways it can create some issues with lineups and playing time and puts a lot of stress on Steve (Kerr) and the coaching staff in terms of who to play.”
2ND-ROUNDERS BARELY MAKE NBA
Mike tried to keep things in perspective with a reminder that guys like Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post usually don’t roster: “You'd be lucky to draft a guy in the second round that can make it at all.”
Hopefully the pre-Draft workouts have been going well? Even if Jonathan Kuminga comes back, there are still four other roster slots to fill and the assumption is one of them is the 41st pick at the bare minimum rookie salary ($1.3 million). Of course, they could probably sign a two-way guy like Taran Armstrong to that slot and send the 41st pick down to Santa Cruz as a new two-way. I’m not sure the same could be said of Braxton Key, the defensive specialist, for example — particularly if Gary Payton II doesn’t come back, for whatever reason — because Key was signed as a regular NBA contract at the end of last season and so maybe that would make him a second-year veteran’s minimum at $2.0 million.
The assumption is that GSW has to be a little nitpicky at the end of the bench, at first glance of the cap sheet and Kuminga yet to be signed.
By contrast to a rookie contract at $1.3 million, the 30th pick will make $2.7 million this upcoming season. Even re-signing Kevon Looney would be a cap charge of $2.3 million.
Dunleavy said he doesn’t anticipate moving up to the first round and I’d be shocked if they did because, as described below, there’s not a ton of room under the first apron on that cap sheet to go out and get guys.
GETTING BETTER “IN THE MIDDLE”
Even though I now have a 1-A trade target in Jaren Jackson, Jr. and, of course, MDJ isn’t gonna give off any clues he’s in pursuit of a 1-A — here’s the video essay:
— Mike seemed to suggest they are targeting rotation players 7th through 9th on the depth chart as far as off-season roster-building is concerned: “I feel really good about our roster, if you look at guys 10 to 14, 10 to 15. And that's part of having depth. I think we can get better in the middle. I think we can get better and add some depth there and then we're really talking.”
Would this be through the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which is only about $6 million to sign a free agent, assuming Kuminga is a Warrior?
JK’S RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY
Finally on Kuminga, “I’d like to figure out something sooner than later… restricted free agency can be a little different, so we may have to be patient.”
When pressed by Danny Emerman of the SF Standard on why the urgency, Dunleavy pointed to optionality on veteran minimum salaries and traded player exceptions.
This is rather unfortunate for the JJJ idea because that “1-A” maneuver requires Kuminga to be at around a $30 million — wouldn’t he take that deal in a heartbeat?
If there are worries things will take awhile then maybe the number isn’t close to that. Bobby Marks of ESPN recently suggested the Warriors should offer a three-year deal worth $81 million, which averages out to $27 million per year.
Note: Brooklyn is the only team with the cap space for a number like that. Detroit has cap space, but per Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron, the Pistons have only about $17 million to sign free agents, a figure that does not figure into the Kuminga negotiations, at first glance.
Finally, the Warriors themselves are presently about $25 million under the first apron without JK signed and four roster spots to fill. Btw, Golden State is only $17 million under the luxury tax line, so it doesn’t look like they’ll get the benefit of using the $14 million NTMLE to acquire a 7-through-9 rotation piece, unless they let Kuminga walk.
FULL TRANSCRIPT: