The Golden State Warriors season ended abruptly at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. Steve Kerr’s team struggled for consistency throughout their 82-game schedule; multiple players failed to reach their usual performance level and some dealt with a string of injury issues.
Another issue facing the Warriors: Their championship core is aging, and they have a new core waiting to step up and continue developing.
It’s a tough tightrope for the Warriors’ coaching staff to walk. As such, Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle raised the question whether now is the right time to trade Stephen Curry.
“If another team will offer the Warriors a bounty of draft picks and prospects in exchange for Curry, thus jump-starting a necessary team overhaul, the Warriors should at least consider the offer, and present it to Curry,” Ostler wrote.
Ostler’s thought process is clearly coming from a rebuilding angle. After all, if Golden State wanted to begin building around its younger stars, such as Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, moving Curry would provide the franchise the assets needed to do that. However, Ostler conceded that should Curry wish to retire in the Bay Area, it’s unlikely the Warriors would look to trade him.
“Please understand, if Curry tells the Warriors he wants to play out his career here, end of story. No way he would be subjected to the treatment given Joe Montana and Willie Mays, traded near the end of their careers. I’m convinced that if Curry wants to retire with the Warriors, Lacob will make that happen.”
The Warriors have some tough decisions to make in the upcoming offseason. However, it’s highly doubtful that Curry’s future with the franchise will be one of them. After all, he’s still one of the best guards in the NBA. His shooting skill is still among the best in the world. Moving on from Curry may look good on paper, but in reality, it’s a non-starter that will likely never come to fruition. Nor should it.
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