Several teams entered the offseason with a clear idea of their roster needs and how they could make the necessary upgrades. While the Golden State Warriors could be viewed as a team in need of improvement, especially as the franchise looks to capitalize on what could be the final years of Stephen Curry‘s peak, the organization’s offseason activity has been questionable.
But why has this been the case? For all intents and purposes, it would be reasonable for the Warriors to actively seek upgrades to improve their chances of contending and provide Curry the support he needs. Unfortunately, aside from Joe Lacob’s unsatisfying outlook on the post-Curry era, there may be another reason for the Warriors’ lack of trade activity.
Earlier rumors indicated that Stephen Curry could leverage his contract extension to strong-arm the Warriors into making “win-now” moves. However, according to NBA insider Anthony Irwin, Joe Lacob is instead banking on Curry’s loyalty to the franchise to avoid making any more moves.
“Joe Lacob gets to use Steph Curry’s loyalty against him,” Irwin explained. “He [Curry] wants to be a lifelong Golden State Warrior. He wants to also compete for championships right up until the moment that he can no longer compete for championships. And yet, because Joe Lacob knows that Steph would prefer to remain a Golden State Warrior rather than go and chase a title somewhere else or go play for Charlotte in his hometown or closer to his hometown.”
“Because Lacob knows that he can hold that loyalty over Steph, guess what Lacob is going to continue telling his front office to do?” he added. “And yet, you haven’t heard a peep out of Steph or his camp saying, ‘Guys, I’m still pretty good.’ And Lacob is going to continue to use that against him.”
Irwin touched on some important aspects of the Curry-Lacob relationship, highlighting that Lacob purchased the Warriors after Curry was already drafted and the impact this had. Although both have been vital in helping the Warriors assert themselves as a dynasty in the modern era, Irwin implies that Lacob does not value Curry as much.
In all fairness, this is a serious accusation. However, the front office’s recent actions seem to justify it.
Although the Warriors had an opportunity to pair Stephen Curry with Jaylen Brown this summer, the Dubs remained hesitant, eventually allowing the 76ers to snatch the five-time All-Star. Now, in an unlikely turn of events, the Celtics have emerged as a suitor for Curry.
While it remains unlikely that the Warriors would allow any team to pry Curry away, it seems clear that ownership isn’t as committed to supporting the superstar anymore. Unfortunately, this approach can also be justified, as CBS’ Sam Quinn noted:
“More teams should go all out when the window is open and accept the misery afterward. The time for the Warriors to do that was when Steph was in his early to mid-30s. The two-timeline approach was not smart. Now, it’s just too late to go all in.”
Even at 38, Stephen Curry remains one of the most threatening offensive players in the NBA. Having averaged 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 46.8% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range last season, Curry remains impactful.
Still, given that the superstar is gradually nearing the end of his professional career, Quinn’s report holds. With the Warriors clearly shifting their outlook to life after Curry, investing future draft capital to compete now appears to be a fruitless endeavor.
Overall, the situation seems rather unfortunate for Stephen Curry. Although there is merit in believing that the superstar would thrive elsewhere, given his desire to retire in the Bay Area, the final years of his career may be quite disappointing.
