Kelly Oubre Jr. was recently introduced as a member of the Golden State Warriors after his trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, which went down after a trade from the Phoenix Suns. In an interview on “Damon, Ratto & Kolsky” on 95.7 The Game, the newest Warrior expressed how excited he is to join the top-notch organization in the Bay Area. While doing so, Oubre also took a shot at Suns owner Robert Sarver, while giving mighty praise to Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
“You just hit the nail on the head,” Oubre said. “I can play for an owner — somebody who actually cares about the organization and not just the perception of the organization on the media end of it. It's all about the foundation for me, man. You have a beautiful foundation, can build a beautiful [future].”
Sarver has carried a reputation of being a bad owner. That may be evident with the way the Suns organization has had multiple front office and coaching staff changes throughout his tenure, most especially over the past decade.
Meanwhile, the Warriors organization has been seen as a model franchise in the NBA. A lot of that has to do with their leadership from the top, starting with owner Joe Lacob.
The billionaire businessman has always made a commitment to winning. That became most evident when he gave the go-ahead to president Bob Myers to open up the checkbook to acquire Oubre even after Klay Thompson's devastating injury.
With that, the Warriors utilized the hefty $17.2 million trade exception they had as a result of the Andre Iguodala trade last year. Golden State used part of the exception to bring in Oubre and his $14.4 million expiring deal. Lacob could have opted to stay cheap in order to avoid a larger tax bill. Instead, his approval of bringing in a solid 3-and-D wing like Oubre is a clear indication that he and the Warriors don't plan to mail in this upcoming 2020-21 season.
Certainly, the loss of Thompson will make it difficult for the Warriors to return to the top of the NBA. But adding a quality young wing like Oubre, who averaged a career-best 18.7 points and shot 35.2 percent from 3 last season, helps mitigate Thompson's loss and will help keep them competitive.
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