Joe Lacob seemingly hints Warriors may not cave into Jazz's demands for Lauri Markkanen: "Can't bankrupt the entire team's future"
The Golden State Warriors have been in a dilemma between choosing to trade for a superstar to pair with NBA great Steph Curry or retain their young players with the hopes of building after Curry, 36, retires.
After weeks of trade offers and free agency turnouts, the Warriors seem to be leaning on the latter to preserve their future as a franchise.
Warriors owner and CEO Joe Lacob addressed the situation and the extent the team is willing to go to maximize the remaining years of Curry, who has delivered four NBA championships.
Lacob told The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson on the "Hoops Adjacent" podcast about why the Warriors don't want to make a drastic trade to improve the roster surrounding Curry:
"We run analytical models on all that stuff. We will make the deal that makes us better. We look at the short term and the intermediate term and, to some extent, long term as well, but that's a factor."
Lacob cited these models as to why they will not flinch at a potential Lauri Markannen trade from the Utah Jazz.
Markannen has been linked with the Warriors throughout the offseason, including the latest trade proposal that packages young players Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and future picks.
"We have an incredibly complex model these guys run about how good we will be, and it's not everything what the press writes all the time, or what people say on the internet blogs. So, we're very aware of that. And you can't make a trade that makes you worse, and then expect to be better," Lacob said.
While adding Markannen right now would raise the team’s ceiling, Lacob believes trading for the seven-foot star would not be a beneficial move for the Warriors in the long run, as it could hinder the team’s future after Curry retires.
“The caveat is that we can't bankrupt the team in an unbelievably dumb way for a decade. You can't bankrupt the entire team's future to go for one year because it's very, very hard to win. Even if we have the best team, you can sustain an injury. It's usually what happens, and somebody else wins,” he added.
Nevertheless, the Warriors are in a tough spot in maximizing the remaining years of Curry. With Steve Kerr at the helm but without the pieces that made them great, reviving the Warriors' dynasty would be a tall task.
Warriors season projection with and without Lauri Markkanen
If the Warriors trade their young players for Markannen, they will be equipped with a veteran-laden team alongside new acquisitions Buddy Hield and Kyle Aderson, along with Curry and Draymond Green.
Otherwise, the Warriors will only have Curry as their star, putting them in a handicap against some of the Western Conference’s top teams.
Either way, the Warriors are in a tough spot right now. Considering the steep asking price by the Jazz, Golden State may have to settle with what they already have for the next season.