[Kenney] Joe Lacob: “There’s no such thing as the 2 timelines. Never was & never will be. There’s only 1 timeline: every year to compete the best you can to win a championship…We’d like Steph, Draymond & Klay to retire as Warriors. That’s my goal, our goal, & I think that’ll happen”

[Source Article by Bay Area News Group’s Madeline Kenney – “Exclusive: Warriors owner Joe Lacob on Poole-for-Paul trade, WNBA expansion, A’s departure and more”](https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/07/15/exclusive-warriors-owner-joe-lacob-on-poole-for-paul-trade-wnba-expansion-as-departure-and-more/)

*It says it’s paywalled/”Subscribers Only”, but I can access it without one so*

 

### Joe Lacob says there were never 2 Timelines:

*He’s said this before on Tim Kawakami’s podcast too*

*[Back in 2021, he referred to it as “The Bridge to the Future”](https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Warriors-owner-Joe-Lacob-Hopefully-this-16477637.php)*

> “There’s no such thing as the two timelines,” Lacob told the Bay Area News Group. “There never was and still isn’t and never will be. There’s only one timeline, and the timeline is every year to put the best product on the floor, to have the best team, to compete the best you can to win a championship.”

 

### Joe Lacob on the CP3-Poole Trade and Wanting to Win:

> The trade was a “multi-faceted decision,” Lacob said. In the immediate future, he believes it puts the Warriors in a better position to win. It also gives the Warriors financial flexibility at a time when the new collective-bargaining agreement is implementing more sanctions on high-spending teams.

> There’s also no question that Draymond Green punching Poole in the preseason had a psychological impact on the team last season.

> “We had to change something,” Lacob said. “While it’s a short-term move, Chris Paul is a fabulous Hall of Famer who will I think certainly help our second unit, help our first unit if he plays there, wherever he plays, he’s a tremendous guy.”

>  

> “We can be good for several years, not just one, but we definitely want to win,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can. We’re gonna have a huge payroll this year, the biggest in the history of the NBA, and we’re trying to win. I can’t try any harder, we’re trying everything we can.”

### Joe Lacob on CP3: Starter or Bench:

> “That’s up to the coaches,” Lacob said. “I’m sure they’re talking about it, but **who knows? He might start, he might not. … The point is to get a lot of talent out there and to see [what happens]**. Who starts doesn’t really matter anyway, it’s who finishes the game.”

 

### Joe Lacob’s Goal is to have Steph, Draymond, and Klay retire as Warriors:

> Discussions on extending Klay Thompson, who’s entering the final year of a five-year, $190 million deal, are quiet at this point, according to Lacob, though he remains optimistic that they’ll figure it out at some point.

> “Certainly, we’d like Steph, Draymond and Klay to retire as Warriors,” he said. “That is my goal, our goal, and I think it’s a good likelihood that’ll happen.”

### Joe Lacob wants to Figure out an Extension for Steve Kerr:

> “We’ll have those discussions I’m sure soon,” Lacob said. “Steve loves being coach of the Warriors, I love Steve, we love Steve and I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

 

### Joe Lacob Addressing the Diversity (or Lack of) of the Front Office:

> Warriors are still dealing with a glaring diversity issue **among the team’s higher-ups**. Their president, general manager, head coach, vice president of basketball operations, director of team development and director of basketball operations **are all white men**. It’s noteworthy, too, that Shaun Livingston and Mujtaba Elgoodah have departed their posts as the director of player affairs and engagement and manager of team development, respectively. Jama Mahlalela also left Steve Kerr’s staff

> Lacob had noted that the **Warriors “have more diversity than people think” in lower-level positions**, including Santa Cruz general manager David Fatoki, director of team development Ryan Atkinson, salary cap expert Onsi Saleh and director of analytics Pabail Sidhu among others. But **he also acknowledged the lack of diversity in the organization is an issue.**

> “We need to be better,” he said. “So we’re going to work to do that, to improve that. It’s necessary.” The Warriors have a chance to put words into action as they start the search for a director of basketball operations since Nick U’Ren is leaving the Warriors to become the general manager of the Phoenix Mercury.

 

### Joe Lacob on the A’s Leaving Oakland:

>** Lacob said he couldn’t comment on A’s owner John Fisher’s decision to move the A’s** to Sin City. “**He owns the team, he’s not interested in selling**, and I guess it looks like they’re moving to Las Vegas right now,” Lacob said. “Let’s see how that shakes out.”

> “We always look at everything. We’re always aggressive and should there be an opportunity to own a Major League Baseball team… we’d be interested,” Lacob said. “But at this point, I can really, there’s nothing to say about it because I don’t know anything about it.”

by NokCha_