Chris Paul

Why Kerr doesn't envision Warriors making big moves at deadline

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It doesn't appear likely the Warriors will make any earth-shattering moves ahead of the NBA's Feb. 8 trade deadline.

And given the team's recent history at the deadline, that shouldn't come as a surprise to Dub Nation.

The floundering Warriors (20-24) have struggled to maintain any semblance of consistency this season, mostly due to key players underperforming, a handful of injuries and the suspension of veteran forward Draymond Green. So what move will Golden State make to provide a midseason spark and stay afloat in the playoff race?

Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn't envision much of a shakeup, and believes Chris Paul and Gary Payton II, who are recovering from hand and hamstring injuries respectively, can provide Golden State with the midseason spark it needs.

"Yeah, we're not going to find better players than those guys in a trade," Kerr told 95.7 The Game's "Willard & Dibs" on Wednesday. "It's exceedingly rare where you can make a deal where you can upgrade to that level. I'm excited about getting those guys back, Moses [Moody] too. We've been shorthanded these last couple of weeks, but all three of those guys can really help us for sure."

While Kerr won't completely rule out the possibility of a trade, he knows that the deadline, for most teams, often is fairly quiet and remains confident in his squad after their 119-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at Chase Center.

"I think a deal almost always is unlikely, but that doesn't mean a deal won't happen," Kerr added. "That's Mike [Dunleavy Jr.'s] job, it's really not anything I concern myself with. Mike will obviously call me and keep me in the loop if something's going on, but the fact is, most trade deadlines not much happens.

"So you just try to do the best you can with what's happening at that particular time with the team and that's what we're doing right now. I think we're getting better, I know we've had two really tough losses this week, but I like the direction our team is trending (and) I like the guys that are coming back off of injury."

A lot has been made about what the Warriors should or should not do leading up to the trade deadline, including a recent report that "everyone but Steph Curry" will be made available to teams before another report indicated Golden State has "no interest" in trading either Klay Thompson or Draymond Green.

Barring an unforeseen shakeup, it appears the Warriors are confident in the team they have and hope the returns of a few key players provide the boost they so desperately need.

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