Stephen Curry has spent his entire 18-year NBA career with the Golden State Warriors. He has said multiple times that he wants to end his career in Golden State.
But Bill Simmons believes that there is one blockbuster trade idea that could make sense if the franchise ever decides it has to move on from its superstar.
Speaking on his podcast, Simmons said that the San Antonio Spurs should think about making an all-in trade offer for Curry to make them truly unstoppable for the next few years.
“It’s not a ring chase, but what if San Antonio, with Fox and all the picks they have, just said, ‘F**k it,’ and went to say, like, ‘We’ll do Fox. You put the picks together any way you want for a couple years of Steph here.’ And now we’re trying to acquire 2024 Olympic Steph, and he goes to San Antonio and tries to grab a couple more. It’s pretty interesting.”
“Because people always say, ‘Oh, they’ll trade him back to Charlotte.’ He’s not doing that. He’s not winning anything in Charlotte. But with San Antonio, who has Atlanta’s first-round pick, they have a swap with Boston. They have swaps with Dallas or Minnesota in 2030. They have a 2030 swap with Sacramento, and they have all their firsts. And they have other stuff, too. I don’t think they’d put Castle and Dylan Harper… Those guys would not be on the table, but maybe Carter Bryant would be on there.”
The idea remains purely hypothetical, but it does come at an interesting time for Golden State.
The Warriors have struck out on every major offseason target. They were linked with LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown, and Kawhi Leonard. But in the end, they failed to land any of them.
Instead, reports hint that the franchise seems to be comfortable running it back with the same squad, and they don’t view themselves as legitimate title contenders.
That cautious approach might have been driven by ownership. Recent reports suggested that owner Joe Lacob is hesitant to sacrifice the franchise’s future by trading multiple first-round picks for short-term upgrades.
You can understand why, as the concern is simple. The Warriors could empty their entire draft stockpile, fail to win another championship and then enter the post-Curry era without the assets needed for a rebuild.
That philosophy has frustrated many Warriors fans who want the team to maximize Curry’s remaining years, especially when he’s in the final year of his current contract.
The two-time MVP is eligible for another two-year, $136 million extension, and insiders have suggested that he could use those negotiations as leverage to force the Warriors into making a win-now move. Although a trade request is viewed as very unlikely given Curry’s loyalty to the franchise, his current contract situation will put heavy pressure on the Warriors’ front office.
If Curry ever becomes available, very few teams could outbid the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs just made a deep NBA Finals run, and they have a roster full of young talent led by Victor Wembanyama. They also have five tradable first-round picks and three pick swaps, giving them a deep collection of future trade assets.
A package centered around De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, several first-round picks and pick swaps, and maybe additional talent like Carter Bryant could make them one of the strongest bidders on the market. Simmons also suggested the Spurs would likely keep young stars Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper out of any trade negotiations.
But even then, such a proposal would force the Warriors to think long and hard.
Of course, any trade involving Curry would require his approval. The 38-year-old superstar has repeatedly said that he wants to spend his entire career with the Warriors. So seeing him make a move elsewhere is tough to envision.
Still, if the Warriors decide that they are no longer capable of building another championship team around their franchise star, Simmons’ proposal highlights a situation that could satisfy both sides.
The Spurs could start a dynasty alongside Wembanyama, Harper, and Castle next to Curry. The Warriors could start rebuilding with one of the richest collections of draft capital in the league.
But for now, this scenario remains nothing more than a thought experiment.
If the Warriors’ current direction changes, a conversation that was once thought to be impossible might start becoming far more realistic.
