Golden State coach Steve Kerr had a rotation of players in mind when he got to the arena in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night. And less than an hour before the game, his plan needed to be tossed aside.
The reason: Andrew Wiggins and Dennis Schroder weren't Warriors anymore.
The Warriors and Miami Heat were in the process of finalizing the deal that will send Jimmy Butler to Golden State, and that meant Kerr had to come up with a new plan in very short order. And after his team lost 131-128 in Utah, Kerr suggested the NBA handle this time of year a little differently.
“I think the league should consider making the trade deadline at the All-Star break just so you don’t have to face these games where guys are getting traded half an hour before a game and you’re trying to process the emotions and trying to win a game," Kerr said. “I don't know if it's possible."
The trade deadline this season is at 3 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. All trades need league approval, and then there's the logistical issues of the traded players actually getting to wherever they need to be to join their new club.
And the league doesn't stop while that's happening.
Golden State had 10 players available for Wednesday's game — with Wiggins, Schroder, Lindy Waters III and Kyle Anderson out because the trade was pending, along with Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody out with injuries.
All 10 available Warriors played; two-way player Jackson Rowe logged 14 minutes in his NBA debut, and fellow two-way signee Pat Spencer also played 14 minutes — basically matching his total from the last 11 games combined.
It was a strange pregame period, Kerr said.
“Our guys were in the locker room getting ready to play," Kerr said. "And all of a sudden, we’re saying goodbye.”
The Warriors weren't the only team to be missing players because of pending trades Wednesday, and there will likely be a few teams without newly acquired players on Thursday and Friday as the deadline dust continues settling.
“It’d be great if we could move it back or make the last couple of days before the deadline off days," Kerr said. "I don’t know how to do it. But these are tough days, for sure.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
