Jimmy Butler is out tomorrow night in Portland now. He had an ankle sprain in practice on Friday. Steve Kerr said team thought it was minor, but it remains a little swollen. Hope is he returns for Friday’s preseason finale.
Steve Kerr isn’t ready to commit to a starting SG: “I can't say that yet. We've got to see where we are. Brandin's going to play a ton. He's a hugely important player for us. But the starting lineup frankly is a little tricky for us, given the pieces and Al's age.”
Moses Moody will miss the final three preseason games with a left calf issue, per Kerr. Warriors are hopeful he can get back in time for the regular season opener. Moody hurt it in practice recently. “Not too concerned,” Kerr said.
Keegan Murray suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb in the Kings' preseason game in Portland last night. He'll miss 4-6 weeks, the team says. Murray, entering his fourth season, is extension eligible in the next week.
No Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford or Moses Moody tomorrow in Los Angeles. Curry is banged up, per Kerr, but plan is to play Tuesday in Portland.
The Warriors are taking a serious approach to the preseason reminiscent of 2021. I’d expect Al Horford to start at center tonight vs Blazers as they continue to test lineup combinations ahead of the opener.
Al Horford on playing with Steph Curry: “He does such a good job terrifying everyone in the league every time he moves. That’s something I’m going to really take advantage of.”
Quinten Post is trying to pick nuances up from Al Horford’s game: “He’s actually quite an aggressive player within being a good really good team player.”
Warriors plan to play all their veterans tomorrow night in preseason game vs Blazers. Steve Kerr said he imagines minute total will be ramped up slightly from the opener (around 15 minutes).
Jimmy Butler expected to play tonight in the Warriors preseason opener despite an ankle tweak earlier in the week, per Kerr. Veterans will play around 15 minutes and sit second half. No Seth Curry after arriving to camp mid-week. Jonathan Kuminga will play.
De’Anthony Melton is still in the late stages of ACL rehab. The Warriors anticipate he will miss the early portion of the regular season, per sources. Melton had ACL surgery in early December, about 10 months ago. They like where he’s at but will take careful approach.
Jonathan Kuminga is flying to the Bay Area today. I’d anticipate his first practice with the Warriors tomorrow. Expectation is Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton will sign and be at practice today, which starts in a couple hours.
Steve Kerr says he won’t seek an extension until after season
“If it's meant for me to keep going, I'm going to keep going. If it's meant for the team to move on to someone else, there will be nothing but gratitude and appreciation.”
Steve Kerr is on the final season of his contract. He doesn’t anticipate negotiating an extension during the season. Wants to be with Warriors beyond but acknowledges it’s fluid.
“However this ends, it’s going to be done in a really quality way.”
