Sports

Report: Steve Kerr didn't want Warriors' major wing target at trade deadline

Golden State Warriors On SI · Jul 23, 2026 03:35 · 3 min read

Report: Steve Kerr Didn't Want Warriors' Major Wing Target at Trade Deadline — Steve Kerr | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kerr's reported lack of interest in this wing is puzzling

The Golden State Warriors settled for Kristaps Porzingis as their return for Jonathan Kuminga at the 2026 trade deadline, and I was among many who thought they should've traded Kuminga and picks for a better player.

Well, now we reportedly know why the Warriors didn't trade for one of the major 2026 trade deadline targets.

Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor reported Wednesday that Steve Kerr didn't want Michael Porter Jr.

Though Porter was in lots of trade rumors, the Nets ultimately kept the 6'10" wing past the deadline.

There was a report that Porter could have been had for two first-round picks.

I believe the Warriors would have been better off trading Kuminga and two firsts for Porter instead of the Kuminga trade they made.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported in January that the Dubs had "concrete interest" in Porter.

But I'm guessing Kerr's reported lack of interest in Porter made it so the Warriors were not as big of players for him as previously thought.

Porter vs. Porzingis

Porter had a career year in 2025-26, averaging 24.2 points per game on 46.3/36.3/85.9 splits, but those numbers actually don't totally reflect how good he was.

Through January, he was shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three.

But in his last 14 games before getting shut down in March with a hamstring injury, Porter shot just 40.9 percent from the field and 25.6 percent from three.

Still, Porter played in 52 games in 2025-26, and he was coming off two very healthy seasons in which he missed just six games combined.

Meanwhile, Porzingis averaged 16.7 points on worse shooting splits than Porter last year. He played in just 32 games, and the two previous seasons he's missed a combined 65 games.

My two points about this are a) the Warriors would be a better team with Porter than Porzingis and b) they would be a more attractive destination with Porter to, say, a player with 22 All-Star nods.

Kerr's Lack of Interest Is Strange

Porter has always been a bit of a black hole on offense, which isn't a bad thing considering he's one the best shotmakers in the league. He can get shots off that most players can't because of his height, and his range is outstanding.

Kerr might not love how much of a shoot-first player Porter is, but it's not like he's never had players like him succeed with the Warriors before.

At least offensively, Klay Thompson is a very similar player to Porter.

Porter has never been known as a good defensive player, which has to be mentioned in any comparison with Thompson. Maybe his defense is the reason Kerr doesn't want him.

But Porzingis has similar issues defending the ball, except Porzingis isn't nearly as efficient offensively.

In any event, the Warriors should have taken advantage of Kuminga's trade-friendly contract by acquiring one of the players who got dealt at the deadline (such as Jaren Jackson Jr.) or offering more for one who didn't (such as Trey Murphy III).

Instead, they have Porzingis, whose injury/illness issues could derail the season.

That's not good asset management.