Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy says clash vs. Kings was ‘the worst game we played all year’

As Golden State improved throughout the second half of regular season, the team truly thought they could do some real damage in the NBA Playoffs, but their campaign came short when Sacramento beat them 118-94 on Tuesday night. The Kings took revenge on their California rivals after they had eliminated them from last year’s first-round series.

This time around, the Warriors made mistakes when it mattered the most, as Stephen Curry and company lost big leads, weren’t efficient from long range and couldn’t stop their opponent’s offensive plays.

After players like Klay Thompson weren’t able to drop in a single point that night, general manager Mike Dunleavy couldn’t hide his disappointment. “That was the worst game we played all year,” he claimed.

“I think the overarching emotion right now is disappointment. We’re still sort of settling in on what happened,” the GM shared. “But on the whole, we knew this season no matter how long it went along, was going to end at some point probably disappointing us and so not a shocking surprise. But I think as far as what we need to do, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s to get better. I think that presents a really good challenge for everybody.”

The Bay Area squad hoped they could’ve somehow reenacted last year’s thrilling seven-game victory against their North California neighbors during the Western Conference playoffs, but came short.

Now, the team should rest and regroup during the longest offseason they’ve had in almost a decade. Dunleavy insisted that he remains hopeful that he’ll make the best decisions during the summer.

“I think it’s a mutual feeling. I mean, the guy’s been here a long time. He means so much to the organization,” Mike expressed. “We really, really value him. So there’s nothing that would make me think that he want to go somewhere else or we don’t want him back. And for that reason I’m hopeful we can make it happen, but, you know, it’s a deal both sides got to be good with it and we’ll work through that.”

Dunleavy admitted that they hope to keep much of the roster intact for the next campaign, including Thompson

There’s been a lot of talk about Klay Thompson‘s situation, as he hasn’t been offered a new contract in Golden State. However, both coach Steve Kerr and now Dunleavy have expressed their desire to see him continue as a Warrior for the following season.

“Certainly we want Klay back first and foremost. I expressed that to him yesterday,” the GM said. “I think our players have expressed that, our coach, front office, ownership, look, everybody wants Klay back. He’s still a really good player and I think we have enough good players in our system, we have enough assets to acquire good players and we have the ability to keep getting better.”

"Certainly, we want Klay back. I expressed that to him yesterday."

Mike Dunleavy says nothing makes him believe Klay wants to go somewhere else or the Warriors don't want to re-sign him pic.twitter.com/v9V7w8hWe8

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 18, 2024

The real question is if the Bay Area roster should continue to be led by their core trio that besides Klay, includes veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. “There’s a lot of value in our three guys being Warriors for life,” Kerr said Thursday. “There’s a lot of value in ending with dignity.”

While many believe it is time to move on and invest in newer players that could revive the franchise, the truth is that their Big 3 is getting old. The veteran sharpshooter has said many times before that he would “love to be a Warrior for life,” but only time will tell.