Shams: Warriors 'on the real hunt for a star'
The Golden State Warriors snapped a harrowing, five-game losing streak Thursday night without Stephen Curry or Draymond Green on the floor. Andrew Wiggins played through an ankle injury, and he and Jonathan Kuminga — in a career-high night, on his first 30-plus minute game of the season — combined to push the Warriors past the Rockets.
Golden State now sits at 13-8, but has to face the fact that Curry, Green and Wiggins — the aging stars of the team — are all dealing with injuries. Do they have enough in the tank to remain competitive for the rest of the season, or do they need an upgrade?
Shams Charania of ESPN reported Friday morning that Golden State is prepared to take a swing at a star, but it's a question of whether Kuminga is that star, if it's someone outside of their building.
"I'm told that the Warriors are on the real hunt for a star, a playmaker, a scorer, alongside Stephen Curry," Charania said. "And you think back to the summer when they pursued Lauri Markannen with the Utah Jazz, they made a pitch for Paul George as a free agent with the Clippers, and the debate with the Warriors and teams that look into that situation is for them, are they going to find that externally, outside of this roster currently, or will it be in house with a player like Jonathan Kuminga."
Charania then pivoted to something of an upsell with Kuminga, under the obvious premise that the wing will score more if he plays more. It sounded quite a bit like a message to say, yes, the Warriors are looking for players, but they're not desperate to swing a major trade (even if they do happen to be desperate). He also acknowledged that Kuminga's role might not stay at this level.
"Last night, you look at it, 33 points, the first time he plays 30 minutes in a game all season, he's shown with his output that as his role elevates, so do his stats at different points," Charania said. "And that relationship between Jonathan Kuminga and Steve Kerr is something that warriors officials have been monitoring over the last year or so, and how he fits in when Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are back in the lineup, will be interesting to monitor, but the Warriors future will be shaped over the next few weeks, in the next couple months before the trade deadline, how can they get that next championship with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green?"
Both Curry and Green are both in line to return to the Warriors lineup Friday night, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater. Wiggins is questionable.
