Mike Dunleavy discusses Warriors' quiet NBA offseason, stumble in Las Vegas

Sin City had its way with the Warriors to open their slate of Las Vegas NBA Summer League games this year. 

The Warriors dropped their final two games of the California Classic at Chase Center, and then were blown out by 33 points, 106-73, Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Thomas & Mack Center. From the start, the Warriors’ play made it obvious what kind of night they were in for. An ugly one, to keep it tame. 

Offense rarely arrived for the Warriors. They trailed 9-0 after the first minute and a half before Will Richard made a 19-foot jump shot the next possession. The Warriors went nearly three minutes without scoring, making two free throws, and were stuck at four points until there were two minutes left in the first quarter. 

That slow of a start, where the Warriors went 4 of 21 from the field and had seven turnovers, put them in a 34-13 deficit. A strong second quarter, where the Warriors outscored the Blazers 27-19, cut the lead to 13 points, but Golden State could only muster 12 points in the third quarter as Portland put up a 20-point advantage in the second half. 

It was another tough game for Alex Toohey, too. The Warriors’ top draft pick at No. 52 overall was a minus-47 in 23 minutes. Toohey scored seven points, all in the last three minutes, on 2-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, one assist and four steals. 

He’s now a minus-81 in his first two games, over 47 minutes.

Fellow rookie Richard had another strong overall performance. Richard also played 23 minutes but had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, adding four rebounds, three assists, three steals and no turnovers. 

“When you go into the second round, we've identified players that we feel like can fit in and not only make the NBA but play within our system,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said to ESPN’s Katie George during halftime. “I think those are two guys that can play both ways. We like the way they think the game. We like the way they defend. Will can make shots, we think Alex will be able to make shots. Mostly just two guys that are winners, competitors. 

“Will won a national championship at Florida. Alex has competed with professionals in the Australian league. We like those guys. We're lucky to get them in the fifties. We think they'll be a big part of our future.” 

Dunleavy had one pick at No. 41 going into the draft, and then made two trades to add two players. The Phoenix Suns then landed sharpshooter Koby Brea out of Kentucky with the Warriors’ original pick. 

Brea earlier in the day scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and was 4 of 5 on threes in the Suns’ 19-point win. But that’s beside the point. 

Throughout Dunleavy’s halftime interview, he was asked six questions. None of his answers broke news. They just were more compelling than anything Toohey, Richard, Jackson Rowe, Taran Armstrong and the rest of the Warriors were doing. Such as when George asked Dunleavy about the Warriors’ quiet offseason. 

"So far, so far,” Dunleavy said. “We've got a ways to go here. I consider the offseason kind of from the time the season ends all the way to training camp, so we'll give ourselves that buffer to add to our roster. ... We've got the whole summer to do it." 

Free agency began essentially two weeks ago. Only one team is yet to make a single move: The Warriors.

What kind of players do the Warriors need to add? Dunleavy addressed a specific trait for a frontcourt player, and one for a backcourt player.

"I think we learned a lot about the team this past year, especially since we've added Jimmy [Butler],” he said. “We feel like we have a group going forward that's going to be pretty good. What do we need to add? I think from that standpoint, we want to look to the frontcourt to add some shooting, in the backcourt some defense. 

“Offensively, guys that can shoot, pass and dribble. There's tons of needs, but I think we've zeroed in on some areas that we can address. As the summer unfolds, we'll continue to try and do that." 

He then explained how the Warriors were given a boost on the court from Butler’s arrival, as well as spiritually. Having him in the locker room brings a new sense of confidence alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green. 

But that trio wasn’t the same whenever Jonathan Kuminga tried to join the party. Coach Steve Kerr quickly decided it’s better to keep Kuminga on the waiting list than mess up any chemistry. Now, the Warriors are held up by his restricted free agency after one of the more perplexing seasons for one of their players in years. 

“It was a tricky situation,” Dunleavy admitted. “When Jimmy arrived, Jonathan was out. He had a sprained ankle and missed a bunch of time. So as everyone was getting acclimated with Jimmy, JK wasn't in the lineup. He had to come back and we had this great run and he had to sort of figure it out. 

"I think it was a little challenging for him and the team, but when Steph went down, he stepped up. That was admirable from JK's standpoint, and that's a big reason why we want to bring him back."

Don’t look too far into those last few words. Dunleavy isn’t making a plea to Kuminga and his camp. He’s keeping it professional, using his words as any kind of proof of interest to other teams. 

There also is the real possibility Kuminga’s ultimate fate is returning to the Warriors … and then is back to being in trade talks come December.

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