It has now been confirmed that Golden State Warriors team governor Joe Lacob did, in fact, respond directly to one fan who emailed him asking to “please do something about this Team.”
Warriors Owner Joe Lacob Replied Back
After Golden State’s 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, one Warriors fan on Reddit, Justin Dutari (u/Justdutari), who SFGate’s Alex Simon recently interviewed for a story, sent an email at 8:44 p.m. PT after the loss, to an address he assumed belonged to Lacob.
Dutari, with a subject line of “Please read,” wrote:
“Dear Joe, Please do something about this team. What [does] Steph [Curry] need to do every night to win? Drop 50 points? Team is [in] need [of] a real second option. Jimmy [Butler’s] tools are being underutilized because he is playing as a power forward due to the small position players. We have no true center. I am so frustrated.
Thanks,
Justin”
Within two minutes, Dutari received a genuine response from Lacob.
“You can’t be as frustrated as me,” Lacob replied back. “I am working on it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.”
Lacob signed the message as “Joe,” and the email came with the “Sent from my iPhone” tag.
It quickly went viral on Reddit, but many were questioning whether the response actually came from Lacob himself.
However, Warriors spokesperson Raymond Ridder confirmed to Simon on Monday afternoon that the reply did come from the team owner.
Lacob Could Be Eyeing A Big Trade
Lacob could be looking to make a trade ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.
The email suggests he’s willing to make a big move, but his support of Jimmy Butler indicates that Golden State will likely continue to build around the six-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer Steph Curry.
Lacob’s trust in Butler, Curry, and veteran wing Draymond Green is leading fans to speculate that the Warriors could end up dealing Jonathan Kuminga when it’s all said and done.
Kuminga, who finally signed a two-year, $46.8 million deal with the Warriors to end a prolonged contract dispute, is eligible to be traded starting Jan. 15.
As part of the deal, Kuminga also waived his inherent no-trade clause. The club option in the second year is designed for either Golden State or another team if and when Kuminga is traded this season.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported earlier this month that Golden State is “expected to explore the Kuminga trade market in the weeks ahead as the probability of a split before the February deadline remains strong.”
Kuminga has been linked to the Sacramento Kings as a potential trade partner.
