Legendary NBA writer Peter Vecsey took a shot at Bob Myers after the NFL’s Washington Commanders hired the former Golden State Warriors GM as an advisor. When NFL insider Ian Rapoport credited Myers as being the man who built the Warriors dynasty, Vecsey made it clear that wasn’t the case.
“Guess again, Myers did not build Warriors. Curry, Klay & Green were drafted by previous management. And he nearly traded all three in two separate grades. Bucks opted to take Monta Ellis v Curry, and Exec Jerry West halted Klay & Green for Kevin Love.”
Guess again, Myers did not build Warriors. Curry, Klay & Green were drafted by previous management. And he nearly traded all three in two separate grades. Bucks opted to take Monta Ellis v Curry, snd Exec Jerry West halted Klay & Green for Kevin Love.
— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) January 8, 2024
Vecsey is correct to an extent here, so let’s go through Myers’ stint with the Warriors.
It began all the way back in April 2011, when the Warriors hired him to be their assistant General Manager to Larry Riley. He wouldn’t be the assistant for too long, as just a year later on April 11, 2012, Myers was promoted to the position of General Manager.
By the time he took over the reins, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had already been picked by Riley, but it was under Myers that Draymond Green was selected with the 35th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. He may or may not have played a big role in drafting Thompson in 2011, but certainly did when it came to Green.
Now, let’s have a look at the trades that Vecsey was referring to. First, the Warriors almost traded Curry to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2012, but his ankle injuries led to the Bucks’ medical staff saying he wasn’t worth trading for.
Due to those concerns, Monta Ellis ended up being the one traded to Milwaukee in March 2012, instead of Curry. This deal actually went down a month before Myers was promoted to the role of GM, but you’d think he certainly had a big say in it, as he was about to take over.
Next, we go to 2014, when the Warriors reportedly almost traded Thompson and Green for Kevin Love. The reason why it didn’t go through was Jerry West, as Vecsey pointed out. He was an executive board member for the Warriors and was vehemently against trading Klay.
The Warriors eventually listened to West and decided against it. While the move seems ridiculous looking back, it wasn’t seen as being terrible at the time. Still, it would have gone down as a huge mistake, and Myers had no issue with getting it done.
Years later, West explained why he didn’t want to trade Thompson for Love. He felt Klay was the perfect player for Curry, and it’s safe to say West was on point.
So, Myers nearly ended the dynasty before it even really began. There were actually a couple more instances than the ones Vecsey mentioned here when Myers almost broke it up, and let’s have a look at them.
In 2011, the Warriors tried to trade Curry and Thompson for Chris Paul, only for Paul to reject it by saying he wouldn’t sign an extension. Myers was reportedly the one who made the offer to Dell Demps, the then-GM for the New Orleans Hornets, and he along with the Warriors were really fortunate that Paul said no.
Then in 2012, the Warriors wanted to trade Thompson for James Harden, but GM Sam Presti rejected the deal. Presti had called the Warriors asking for a potential deal involving Klay and Golden State was fine with including him in the deal, but with one caveat.
The Thunder had to take on the contract of Andris Biedrins or Richard Jefferson, and Presti never responded to that offer. Had he accepted that deal, Thompson would have been shipped off to OKC.
So as you can see, Myers did almost blow the dynasty up a fair few times before it began. Vecsey might not have been fully accurate about everything he stated, but Myers does not seem to have envisioned that the trio would go on to have so much success.
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