A confident, relaxed introduction for new GM Mike Dunleavy (2024)

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Dunleavy Jr. spoke quietly and deferentially at first, but that didn’t last for too long.

It was a moment for humility, of course, because Dunleavy was sitting next to Joe Lacob, getting introduced as Bob Myers’ replacement and taking over a team that has achieved a few things over the years, some with Dunleavy in the front office and yes, three championships in this era before he got here. Coming in hot and harrumphing would have been all wrong.

But it wasn’t the time or place to act like a weak wallflower general manager, either. You need some personality, a lot of nerve, tons of creativity and a little bit of verbal dexterity to survive and succeed as an NBA GM at the top of this sport. Especially sitting next to Lacob and managing this proud set of veterans. And as Monday’s news conference went on and Dunleavy handled the questions about Draymond Green’s free agency, Jordan Poole’s career path and all other issues, Dunleavy was eventually so comfortable that he started a few improvisational volleys with Lacob, live and beamed out to the NBA universe. It could’ve gone all wrong. But it didn’t.

“I don’t know, Joe, do you have any more comments on theoretical trades that actually haven’t gone through yet?” Dunleavy cracked when he and Lacob were asked about the ramifications of the still-unofficial Bradley Beal-for-Chris Paul trade.

Lacob’s answer, with a smile (after a tiny pause): “No. Thank you for the hint.”

The owner and his new GM looked relaxed sitting next to each other. You could imagine that they’ve batted around ideas for years (Dunleavy came on as a scout in 2018), you could picture them maybe disagreeing on a few things and coming to a fair compromise, and you could see how this might work into the future, even without Myers around to keep everybody on track.

More than anything, I thought Dunleavy seemed secure in himself and his ability to do this rather scrutinized job. That doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to help lift this team to another championship or even to a few more playoff berths. There are big questions ahead, a huge luxury-tax bill coming due, CBA restrictions on what they can do, important roster spots to fill and a demanding owner who will want hourly updates.

Managing the final stages of Stephen Curry’s prime and the next steps for Draymond, Klay Thompson and the rest won’t be easy. It wouldn’t have been easy for Myers or Jerry West or Masai Ujiri or anybody. It sure won’t be easy for a rookie GM.

But you can’t lead a team if you’re scared of this. You can’t get players, coaches, agents, owners and everybody else to follow your vision if you’re just trying to please your boss. You need vision. You need to stand up for yourself in the rooms where the decisions are made. You don’t need to win all of the press conferences, but you can’t fall apart in them, either.

“It’s funny, I was talking to Bob this week,” Dunleavy said in his opening statement. “He asked me, ‘Are you going to do the job?’I said, ‘Yeah, I think so. But I got to be honest, I’m a little uncomfortable taking your job.’

“He said, ‘Dunleavy, c’mon, man, it’s not like you’re taking an organ, it’s just a job.’ We sort of had a laugh about that. At that point, ‘All right, good to go here.’ Got Bob’s approval, which is good. He’s somebody I’ve leaned on and will continue to lean on, as well as other people in our organization. Thank you, Bob, for all you’ve done with this team. You will be missed, but we know you’ll be around.”

Of course, nobody understands the demands better than Myers, who set Dunleavy on this path five years ago or, really, maybe a decade before that. Myers was Dunleavy’s NBA agent. He’s one of Dunleavy’s best friends. He brought him to the Warriors, first as a scout and then, in the chaotic days of July 2019, when Kevin Durant was leaving and Myers had to redo most of the Warriors’ roster, he hand-picked Dunleavy as his top lieutenant.

So it’s no surprise that Dunleavy mentioned the 2022 championship repeatedly on Monday — that’s the roster he helped put together, and that’s the kind of connected team he wants to see into the future.

“Anything I’ve been here for, I stand on board,” Dunleavy said when asked if he was a big part of all the moves under Myers the past five years. Then he added with a smile: “The three championships I wasn’t, I’m down with that, too.”

Lacob said he didn’t interview anybody else for this job, partly because he kept hoping that Myers wouldn’t walk away and then it got very late in the process, partly because Lacob was already comfortable with Dunleavy and partly because it was pretty obvious to everybody that Dunleavy’s relationships and experience with Curry, Draymond, Klay, Steve Kerr and the entire personnel shop made him by far the prime candidate.

Again, Dunleavy isn’t coming into this to change everything about the Warriors. In fact, from everything I’ve heard and know, he and Myers think quite similarly about team building and basketball strategy. We won’t know until Dunleavy starts drafting, signing people and trading for people, but it seems likely that he’ll gravitate towards the same kinds of athletic, smart, two-way wings that Myers valued so highly, from Andre Iguodala to Durant to Andrew Wiggins to Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

“As far as individual skill sets, place a premium on being able to play both ways, defend your position, and on the offensive end to be able to bring something to the table,” Dunleavy said. “High premium on shooting in this day and age with the way the league is going. Shooting is important. Those are kind of the main things, and you work your way down with other skill sets.”

Two-way play and good shooting? That could’ve been said by Myers. That could’ve been said by Kerr. That could’ve been said by any of the team’s other executives, including Kirk Lacob and Larry Harris. That’s the Warriors’ formula.

But Dunleavy isn’t the GM today just because of that. He’s the GM because he fit in so well and so quickly on Myers’ staff and, even though his and Myers’ backgrounds are very different, because they’re so similar. Dunleavy was the Duke superstar, the No. 3 pick by the Warriors who went through some rough years here but had a valuable 15-year NBA career. Myers was the UCLA walk-on who got his law degree while interning as an agent. Yes, very different guys. But both love to talk things out and both defuse situations with their humor. To mention a Dunleavy word: They’re connectors.

“He’s a really good communicator,” Lacob said of Dunleavy. “He’s very thorough in his thinking. Very analytical. (Turning to Dunleavy), you used the word ‘measured,’ which is another word I really like. He thinks in a measured way. He doesn’t just blurt things out.”

So what about the roster’s two most inscrutable players — Poole and Kuminga? Dunleavy personally scouted Poole before the Warriors drafted him in 2019 and Dunleavy has always been a supporter of Poole’s value. And Dunleavy was absolutely involved in the decision to draft Kuminga in 2021.

As trade speculation (some by me!) percolates about both players, Dunleavy can’t and won’t rule out examining any option in the trade market. But the Warriors are probably not looking to trade either player at this point; that’s certainly the signal Dunleavy sent out on Monday, and it’s backed up by everything I’ve heard from Warriors sources the last few weeks and repeated to me on Monday. They’ll consider all options, but the working premise is that it’d take some whopper offers for them to consider moving Poole and/or Kuminga.

“We love having those guys here,” Dunleavy said. “Jordan, especially with his contract extension, we plan on having him four more years at least. Jonathan has shown progression and growth in his first four years. Unfortunately for him, the playing time hasn’t been there. That’s on all of our shoulders to figure out how do we get him in the game more. It’s on Jonathan’s shoulders to improve and make the right adjustments to his game, as well as our front office, our coaching staff figuring out what works.

“Both those guys, really, really good young players. We’re pleased with them. They have great value around the league. Obviously a lot of rumors and stuff come up at this time of the year. We’re happy with those guys.”

So now Dunleavy jumps into this immense job, replacing a GM legend and working for Joe Lacob. I can tell you that Lacob was very impressed with one thing already on Monday: “Actually he called me this morning,” Lacob said of Dunleavy. “Woke me up. Actually, I was up but I was watching a show on TV, ‘First Take.'”

Well, that’s an audacious start, I guess. The first of a few thousand days on call and under the microscope. Mike, are you ready for this?

“Absolutely,” Dunleavy said. “One, getting to know Joe over the last few years, I’m comfortable with it. But two, I wouldn’t want it any other way as far as having an owner that’s less involved, less opinionated, less competitive, less willing to spend to make the roster better, giving us the resources we need. Give me all that stuff versus the alternative. Yeah, I think I’m ready for it.”

By the end of this long presser, Dunleavy was not speaking so quietly anymore. He was smiling and at ease. He had some more jokes afterward. He didn’t look relieved that this step was over, he just looked primed for more.

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(Photo of Dunleavy and Joe Lacob: Janie McCauley / AP)

Tim Kawakami is Editor-in-Chief of The Athletic's Bay Area coverage. Previously, he was a columnist with the Mercury News for 17 years, and before that he covered various beats for the Los Angeles Times and the Philadelphia Daily News. Follow Tim on Twitter @timkawakami