Report: Golden State Warriors top brass wary about optics of having owner’s son in GM role

The Golden State Warriors are in need of a replacement for Bob Myers after he stepped down from his role with the team on Tuesday.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Warriors owner Joe Lacob is expected to seek more prominent roles for his son Kirk, an executive vice president of basketball operations, and Mike Dunleavy Jr., the team’s vice president of basketball operations.

While it seems like the younger Lacob and Dunleavy are both strong candidates, a recent report states that people inside the Warriors organization are wary about the optics of having the younger Lacob as general manager of the team.

“The Warriors now are likely to turn to former star Mike Dunleavy, the team’s No. 3 pick in the 2002 draft,” wrote Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. “Dunleavy has been with the team for four years as Myers’ assistant and has taken an increasingly prominent role in dealing with teams around the league. Lacob’s son, Kirk, is also in the mix, though the top ranks of the organization are aware of the poor optics of having the owner’s son in the GM’s chair.”

It’ll be interesting to see which of the two end up stepping up into Myers’ old role. Something to keep in mind is that the younger Lacob was recently described by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania as someone who profiles “more as an owner-in-waiting than future general manager.” His power reportedly stretches throughout the basketball and business operations.

That might bode well for Dunleavy’s chances of taking over. Dunleavy spent a decent amount of his playing career with the Warriors after being selected by the squad with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. He appears to have a growing reputation around the league as an executive.

Golden State enters a key offseason after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Draymond Green can become a free agent this offseason by declining the player option he holds. Klay Thompson is now set to enter the final year of his contract and might want a massive extension.

Jordan Poole had a rough postseason and caught lots of flak from the NBA world for it. Perhaps he gets thrown into a deal to upgrade the roster.

Only time will tell what moves end up being made by the Warriors in the offseason.