Warriors beat writer Danny Emerman gives his thoughts on the NBA playoffs and beyond.
Pascal Siakam made a handful of big plays down the stretch before Tyrese Haliburton’s overtime game-winner gave the Pacers a 2-1 series lead over the Bucks. He’s now averaging 30 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists through three playoff games.
Sounds like a guy the Warriors would’ve liked to have.
The Pacers acquired Siakam before the trade deadline for two bench players and three first-round picks — two of which will be in the 20s of this year’s weak draft. Golden State could have beaten that.
The Warriors need to get bigger and more athletic. They need more two-way players who can create their own offense against mismatches next to Steph Curry. Siakam is that kind of player.
Siakam is what even the biggest Jonathan Kuminga believers hope Kuminga becomes in three or four years: an All-Star-level player who can give you 30 on the biggest stages.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. said after the season that there wasn’t anything on the table at the deadline that he wished he’d done in hindsight. It was reported that Golden State was one of the teams involved in talks with Toronto about Siakam, the two-time All-NBA wing.
The Raptors might’ve preferred Indiana’s draft capital-focused deal over one centered around Kuminga, who might be an awkward fit next to Scottie Barnes. Perhaps the Warriors weren’t comfortable risking a piece of their future for a player who could either demand a max contract or walk in free agency this summer. Maybe Siakam’s shaky outside jumper was too big of a turn-off.
There are always overlooked factors in trade hypotheticals, but missing out on Siakam seems like a misfire.
The good news is Dunleavy and the Warriors will probably get a chance at redemption this summer.
Another wing of a similar caliber, Brandon Ingram, could become available because the Pelicans have emerging star Trey Murphy ready to supplant him. Ingram isn’t on Siakam’s level defensively, but he’s a more gifted, efficient three-level scorer. He’d give Golden State a strong secondary option next to Curry, and he’s still only 26 years old.
Again: Ingram is at the level Kuminga could reach in his prime. If they want to compete in the last two years of Curry’s deal and end their dynasty with dignity — to borrow Steve Kerr’s phrasing — the Warriors don’t have time to wait for Kuminga to blossom.
Would Ingram vault the Warriors back into title contention? The ridiculously talented Western Conference makes it tough. But the last time the Warriors had a small forward with scoring acumen like Ingram was when Kevin Durant was here. Ingram would take some burden off Curry’s shoulders and fit in any lineup. He’d be a legit No. 2.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob has proven that he’s committed to winning. Cashing in some of the young core for an injection of prime talent this summer is the only way to really try. It’ll take a big swing, and the Warriors don’t have to see another strike whizz past them. They don’t have to make the same mistake twice.
Tea leaves
Speaking of Durant, the former Warriors star narrated a commercial for his KD 17 sneakers starring Thunder center Chet Holmgren.
Durant’s post-Warriors career has included a failed superteam in Brooklyn and a trade demand to Phoenix, where another Big 3 is faltering. It takes a tin foil hat to read too deep into an ad spot, but could he be laying the groundwork for another move, this time back to Oklahoma City?
There are no public indications that Durant is unhappy in Phoenix. He’s still under contract through 2026. Demanding a trade is unlikely, but it has to be non-zero. Something doesn’t smell right.
The Suns are on the verge of getting swept out of the first round, facing a 3-0 series deficit to Minnesota. If they flame out, the noise will get louder on whether Durant might see greener grass elsewhere again.
Durant’s desire for another championship is clear. The Thunder, with Holmgren, MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two-way wing Jalen Williams and a bushel of draft capital are much better positioned now and in the future than the Suns.
LeBron James made his homecoming with his return to Cleveland. Durant could do the same, going back to the franchise that drafted him.
Clutch stuck, not sick
I have a feeling Steph Curry won’t be bouncing his grandchildren on his knee and telling them about the time he won the 2023-24 Clutch Player of the Year award.
Seriously, what are we doing here? Who is this award for?
Every year, the leader in clutch scoring will win the honor. It’s always going to go to one of the best players in the league, the same players who don’t need another meaningless award collecting dust in their trophy cases. The league is just adding more legends’ names — in this case, Jerry West — to trophies nobody asked for.
Like the Pixar classic “The Incredibles” taught us: If everyone’s super, no one is. If everything’s awarded, nothing is.
Damning doom scroll
A camera caught D’Angelo Russell sitting alone on the Lakers’ bench, apparently scrolling on his cell phone as his teammates huddled during Game 3 of their series against Denver.
The scene said everything you need to know about Russell.
D’Angelo Russell wouldn’t even join the Lakers huddle pic.twitter.com/QSKsHlWcqu
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) April 26, 2024
The point guard actually had arguably his best year as a pro, blocking out trade rumor noise while putting together an efficient scoring season. His aloof playoff stinker is going to overshadow it.
It’s a shame that now the two most defining moments of Russell’s underwhelming career involve phone snafus.
A common refrain
Watching the thrilling end of Game 2 of the Knicks-76ers game, a friend of mine made the oft-repeated claim: You only need to watch the last two minutes of NBA games.
Casual sports fans are, of course, free to think this way, but the complaint is nonetheless infuriating.
NBA basketball is the greatest combination of world-class athleticism and strategy in sports. The former is so palpable that it pops off the screen, and the latter is significantly more digestible than that of football, where you need an All-22 video feed to dissect X’s and O’s.
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I’m not sure why the trope specifically targets the NBA. Two-minute drills in each half often decide football games the same way. Close ninth innings are beautifully nauseating, generally unlike the first eight. A knockout blow in a UFC octagon lacks context.
Incredible plays happen all the time in NBA games, not just during crunch time. Tracking the flow and momentum of a game through each quarter, each run, is gripping. The first 46 minutes usually explain the last two.
Each game tells its own story. The last two minutes are just conclusions. You don’t pick up a book and read the last page, right?