Going from “light years” to twilight years is quite the crash to earth. In 2022, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship. However, since Stephen Curry won his fourth NBA championship, his franchise hasn’t dented the Western Conference playoff picture. Given their current NBA existence, there is a realistic outcome in which the Warriors trade Curry.
On the “Warriors Plus/Minus” podcast, long-time Warriors beat writers Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II discussed why the “desperate” trade for Nikola Vucevic would not make a difference for a franchise known for making waves. Moreover, Slater and Thompson’s commentary suggested that any move at this juncture is meaningless.
Thompson described the 12-3 start as a “mirage” and claimed the 2024-25 season roster was initially meant to be a two to three-year project. The book author also said winning a championship was never in the Warriors’ plans.
Moreover, the Warriors’ fiery leap ignited unfair expectations of a team not designed for championship contention.
Besides the trade rumor mill, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. refused to extend Jonathan Kuminga despite essentially labeling the wing untouchable. Golden State’s inactivity and marginal moves support Thompson’s claim of the franchise pseudo-rebuild.
Considering Curry’s age, 36, a three-year project doesn’t bode well for a player not accepting of a “mid” basketball team. Regarding playing professional basketball, Curry’s time is near its end, as the Warriors star mentioned earlier this season.
At some point, either Curry will accept his fate as the next Dirk Nowitzki, regarding how the Dallas Mavericks star remained with a fading franchise out of loyalty, or he’ll receive a trade to finish his career contending for an NBA championship.
