> Though the Warriors typically like to make collective decisions, that was not the case with Oubre, according to sources. From Lacob down through various levels of power, including then-GM Bob Myers and the coaching staff, there were pockets of dissent. The biggest question seemed to be whether Oubre’s skills and disposition would complement the rest of the roster.
IOW, Lacob liked splashy dumb dunk man (men if you include Wiseman). The actual basketball people were against it. It blew up in his face and now he overrules any trades he’s not totally blown away by.
Grafaap
Oh dear a owner who thinks that being rich= having a mind for the game .
WallStreetDoesntBet
Excellent article — greatest part of this story is the fact they regrouped after making that poor trade and still won an NBA championship.
nowaymonet
What is with billionaires and thinking they know better than everyone in everything?
You got to this point by surrounding yourself with smart people who know things you don’t, let them do their thing.
SCalifornia831
I won’t be hypocritical, I was a supporter of bringing in Oubre and a lot of other people were as well…
Reason being, there was a $17M TPE from the Andre Iguadala trade that if it wasn’t used, was going to expire and there was no reason what so ever to not use it, other than save Lacob luxury tax money.
Lacob was right to push to use the TPE and that’s what I want in an owner, someone willing to spend to make the team better.
Now, whether he specifically pushed for Oubre and how they used the TPE, seems a little bit like revisionist history because we don’t know who all was available. Of course, Oubre didn’t fit and Wiseman was a bust but given the circumstances of 2020 – I’m willing to give him a pass on all that.
What is/was concerning is the overruling part which my gut tells me is over sensationalized a little and over stated for this article but obviously has some truth to it. I think that’s partially why Myers left….Lacob pushing for the two timeline youth movement was starting to go against what the actual basketball ops people thought was best for the franchise to win now.
The fact we won a championship in 2022 and we’re not chasing guys like Lavine and Ingram is a good sign for the future
tartarus2
I still cant believe Wiggs/Oubre couldnt both score 20 PPG that year. Steph and Draymond were healthy right?
nba2k11er
>In the eight years since Durant departed, the Oubre deal is the only individual move made under the theory that it alone would be enough to keep the Warriors among the contenders.
I could not disagree more. With Klay injured, the Warriors did not attempt to contend for the 2021 NBA championship. Here are some things they did to show that they viewed it as an in-between year:
– Letting rookie Wiseman start
– Kerr limiting Steph to 36 minutes in a close February loss to the Spurs, then giving a quote that he would not “chase wins”
– experimenting with Paschall at center
– acquiring Oubre and his $14.4m expiring contract
>No longer are the Warriors willing to jeopardize their bottom line, sacrifice a bundle of draft picks or disrupt their roster for anyone who doesn’t rate a consensus.
>The Oubre trade was made on Nov. 22, 2020, with Golden State giving the Oklahoma City Thunder multiple draft picks, all of which wound up in the second round.
Yeah… one top-20 protected 1st (conveyed as 2nd) and 1 additional 2nd. That is not a “bundle.” It’s some scraps. They were attached to the Iguodala trade exception, which was about to expire. Nor did it disrupt the roster. There was no raw prospect such as Kuminga or even Moody that Oubre took minutes from. The other wings were Bazemore and Lee. Veteran journeymen, albeit well-liked.
I believe they saw acquiring Oubre as a low-risk flip opportunity. Obviously, it did cost Lacob a pretty penny in luxury tax. But it did not cost much in basketball assets. They got to float the Iguodala salary slot forward. They had plenty of minutes and shots available for him to showcase his value and get stats. All according to plan, they tried to shop him at the deadline. It didn’t work out because of his performance. But if it had, the Warriors could have received picks exceeding the value of the initial trade, or maybe another veteran piece for their real attempt at contention in 2022.
And if he had proved himself as a championship piece, like they later found with Otto Porter… Cool! He came with Bird rights. They could have re-signed him.
TL;DR They took a smart gamble. Even though it didn’t pan out, it was a good trade, no lesson needed to be learned.
…and no reason to bash Lacob for this in particular.
spidermanisthebest
ooooh scary
WigglingWoof
The Oubre and Wiggins POA wing defense was legit tho. Too bad not much else worked out.
RealPineapple7
yea whatever
changerofbits
I think Lacob has been a good owner. The league literally implemented new rules so he and Balmer would be punished beyond their pocketbook (in ways that make it harder to roster a good team) for going over the salary cap. But like any rich person who finds success in something, they tend to think their own farts smell like flowers. I don’t even fault him for being hands on in the front office, I think that’s good in terms of keeping them honest. However, he’s not as good at judging basketball talent as he thinks he is. I was very relieved he went with Dunleavy instead of his son as GM, which might signal that he knows he needs real help and not nepotism to succeed, just seasoning his son to be a good owner and not a GM. Lacob wasn’t the owner who drafted Steph, the player who made his Warriors who they are now in brand and value. Lacob reportedly gave the Bucks the pick of Monta or Steph in the trade for Bogut, and they luckily took Monta. And the Oubre and Wiseman flops are more evidence that it’s far more luck than Lacob having more intelligence than other owners when it comes to how successful the Warriors have been over the last decade. I’ll end by saying I respect that Lacob is willing to open up the pocketbook, and that they signed Durant, and that he keeps Steph happy, and got a new arena built in SF with no public funding.
savetheplastic
Pretty dumb article in my opinion. Of all the things that have gone wrong since the 2019 finals, Kelly Oubre is a pretty minor blip. Now, don’t get me wrong, I hate Kelly Oubre. I hated him before he was a Warrior and during his time here. But once Klay got hurt, he was the best option available to replace at least some of what Klay would have given them. If Joe Lacob wanted to spend $80 million and a few second round picks on a mediocre player who was their best shot at saving the season, then I have no problem with it. I thought it was a great trade even though the Warriors ended up being better without Oubre that year. Did Oubre fit the roster? No, but neither did D’Lo and we managed to flip him for Kuminga and Wiggins who helped us win the 2022 chip. Lacob does need to trust his people and make sure he isn’t calling too many of the shots, but the Kelly Oubre debacle is not the reason why.
12 Comments
> Though the Warriors typically like to make collective decisions, that was not the case with Oubre, according to sources. From Lacob down through various levels of power, including then-GM Bob Myers and the coaching staff, there were pockets of dissent. The biggest question seemed to be whether Oubre’s skills and disposition would complement the rest of the roster.
IOW, Lacob liked splashy dumb dunk man (men if you include Wiseman). The actual basketball people were against it. It blew up in his face and now he overrules any trades he’s not totally blown away by.
Oh dear a owner who thinks that being rich= having a mind for the game .
Excellent article — greatest part of this story is the fact they regrouped after making that poor trade and still won an NBA championship.
What is with billionaires and thinking they know better than everyone in everything?
You got to this point by surrounding yourself with smart people who know things you don’t, let them do their thing.
I won’t be hypocritical, I was a supporter of bringing in Oubre and a lot of other people were as well…
Reason being, there was a $17M TPE from the Andre Iguadala trade that if it wasn’t used, was going to expire and there was no reason what so ever to not use it, other than save Lacob luxury tax money.
Lacob was right to push to use the TPE and that’s what I want in an owner, someone willing to spend to make the team better.
Now, whether he specifically pushed for Oubre and how they used the TPE, seems a little bit like revisionist history because we don’t know who all was available. Of course, Oubre didn’t fit and Wiseman was a bust but given the circumstances of 2020 – I’m willing to give him a pass on all that.
What is/was concerning is the overruling part which my gut tells me is over sensationalized a little and over stated for this article but obviously has some truth to it. I think that’s partially why Myers left….Lacob pushing for the two timeline youth movement was starting to go against what the actual basketball ops people thought was best for the franchise to win now.
The fact we won a championship in 2022 and we’re not chasing guys like Lavine and Ingram is a good sign for the future
I still cant believe Wiggs/Oubre couldnt both score 20 PPG that year. Steph and Draymond were healthy right?
>In the eight years since Durant departed, the Oubre deal is the only individual move made under the theory that it alone would be enough to keep the Warriors among the contenders.
I could not disagree more. With Klay injured, the Warriors did not attempt to contend for the 2021 NBA championship. Here are some things they did to show that they viewed it as an in-between year:
– Letting rookie Wiseman start
– Kerr limiting Steph to 36 minutes in a close February loss to the Spurs, then giving a quote that he would not “chase wins”
– experimenting with Paschall at center
– acquiring Oubre and his $14.4m expiring contract
>No longer are the Warriors willing to jeopardize their bottom line, sacrifice a bundle of draft picks or disrupt their roster for anyone who doesn’t rate a consensus.
>The Oubre trade was made on Nov. 22, 2020, with Golden State giving the Oklahoma City Thunder multiple draft picks, all of which wound up in the second round.
Yeah… one top-20 protected 1st (conveyed as 2nd) and 1 additional 2nd. That is not a “bundle.” It’s some scraps. They were attached to the Iguodala trade exception, which was about to expire. Nor did it disrupt the roster. There was no raw prospect such as Kuminga or even Moody that Oubre took minutes from. The other wings were Bazemore and Lee. Veteran journeymen, albeit well-liked.
I believe they saw acquiring Oubre as a low-risk flip opportunity. Obviously, it did cost Lacob a pretty penny in luxury tax. But it did not cost much in basketball assets. They got to float the Iguodala salary slot forward. They had plenty of minutes and shots available for him to showcase his value and get stats. All according to plan, they tried to shop him at the deadline. It didn’t work out because of his performance. But if it had, the Warriors could have received picks exceeding the value of the initial trade, or maybe another veteran piece for their real attempt at contention in 2022.
And if he had proved himself as a championship piece, like they later found with Otto Porter… Cool! He came with Bird rights. They could have re-signed him.
TL;DR They took a smart gamble. Even though it didn’t pan out, it was a good trade, no lesson needed to be learned.
…and no reason to bash Lacob for this in particular.
ooooh scary
The Oubre and Wiggins POA wing defense was legit tho. Too bad not much else worked out.
yea whatever
I think Lacob has been a good owner. The league literally implemented new rules so he and Balmer would be punished beyond their pocketbook (in ways that make it harder to roster a good team) for going over the salary cap. But like any rich person who finds success in something, they tend to think their own farts smell like flowers. I don’t even fault him for being hands on in the front office, I think that’s good in terms of keeping them honest. However, he’s not as good at judging basketball talent as he thinks he is. I was very relieved he went with Dunleavy instead of his son as GM, which might signal that he knows he needs real help and not nepotism to succeed, just seasoning his son to be a good owner and not a GM. Lacob wasn’t the owner who drafted Steph, the player who made his Warriors who they are now in brand and value. Lacob reportedly gave the Bucks the pick of Monta or Steph in the trade for Bogut, and they luckily took Monta. And the Oubre and Wiseman flops are more evidence that it’s far more luck than Lacob having more intelligence than other owners when it comes to how successful the Warriors have been over the last decade. I’ll end by saying I respect that Lacob is willing to open up the pocketbook, and that they signed Durant, and that he keeps Steph happy, and got a new arena built in SF with no public funding.
Pretty dumb article in my opinion. Of all the things that have gone wrong since the 2019 finals, Kelly Oubre is a pretty minor blip. Now, don’t get me wrong, I hate Kelly Oubre. I hated him before he was a Warrior and during his time here. But once Klay got hurt, he was the best option available to replace at least some of what Klay would have given them. If Joe Lacob wanted to spend $80 million and a few second round picks on a mediocre player who was their best shot at saving the season, then I have no problem with it. I thought it was a great trade even though the Warriors ended up being better without Oubre that year. Did Oubre fit the roster? No, but neither did D’Lo and we managed to flip him for Kuminga and Wiggins who helped us win the 2022 chip. Lacob does need to trust his people and make sure he isn’t calling too many of the shots, but the Kelly Oubre debacle is not the reason why.