West Rumors: Warriors, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Lakers, Spurs

Warriors

VP of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. is widely viewed as a successor to ex-GM Bob Myers with the Warriors.

But the job may not be all it’s cracked up to be, rival GMs told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports.

“I think most people, if you’re a young executive in this game and you’re trying to go up the ranks, I would be worried about taking that Warriors job because it is like you are taking over the empire right as it is beginning to crumble,” one opposing GM said, via Deveney. “But Mike has the experience and the temperament. He is going to have to make some really tough decisions, and that is a tough way to come into this kind of job. First year and the to-do list is re-sign (Klay Thompson), figure out what to do with (Draymond Green) and figure out whether all your young guys are worth keeping.

“He’s got to try to stay ahead of the game.”

• In case you missed it, Myers is reportedly in early talks with ESPN, presumably to become a studio analyst. We have the full story right here.
• The Warriors recently held a draft workout with UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez. We have that full post here.

Lakers

• The Lakers are planning their offseason around the idea that star forward LeBron James will return, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, via the HoopsHype podcast.
• Most of the league seems to agree with that theory, as we relayed in our latest batch of Lakers notes right here.
• As for a potential pursuit of Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, Buha said he believes “that ship has sailed” and Dallas has no desire to help out LA in a sign-and-trade arrangement anyway.

Spurs

• The Spurs could be a “dark horse” when it comes to potentially pursuing Lakers guard Austin Reaves, Buha said. Reaves will be a restricted free agent, and as we relayed here, the Lakers are expected to match any offer.
• While Reaves seems like a long shot, sources told Hoops Wire the Spurs do intend to aggressively pursue younger veterans to play alongside center Victor Wembanyama, the sure-fire No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.