Sadly, it doesn’t look like the Golden State Warriors are going to compete for another title in the Stephen Curry era.
Entering Monday, the Warriors were 19-19 and the No. 11 seed out west. The Dubs don’t have enough talent around Curry to contend, and he turns 37 in two months.
Although this will be painful for Warriors fans to hear, Golden State should consider blowing up the roster and launching a rebuild. It’s a more exciting plan than to keep being mediocre as Curry rides off into the sunset.
A player as competitive (and still elite) as Curry might also welcome a change of scenery … to a contender, of course.
A massive trade with the Boston Celtics could allow the Warriors to move on from both Curry and Draymond Green — effectively closing the book on the Curry era — while bringing in two All-Star-level talents in the prime of their careers.
It’s a way for the Warriors to immediately shift into a new era without going through any painful seasons of being bad.
Here’s what the trade would look like. It would have to involve the Detroit Pistons given the salary implications.
The Trade
Warriors receive…
- Jaylen Brown
- Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics receive…
- Stephen Curry
- Malik Beasley
- Simone Fontecchio
Pistons receive…
- Draymond Green
- 2031 first-round pick (GSW)
Why would these teams be interested in such a deal? Let’s get the Pistons’ involvement out of the way first. Detroit would benefit from bringing in a guy like Draymond to serve as a much-needed veteran leader as they continue to build a young, up-and-coming roster around Cade Cunningham. Getting Green and a valuable first-rounder from Golden State in exchange for Beasley (expiring) and Fontecchio is a win.
Boston’s been dealing with an oft-injured Porzingis since acquiring him, and they might be smart to trade him before he suffers another huge injury and sees his value plummet to near zero. Trading Brown is a hugely controversial move, of course, but when you’re getting the best shooter ever in return, it’s a trade you have to at least think about if you’re Brad Stevens.
Contractually, Curry’s current deal will expire two years sooner than Brown’s, leaving the Celtics with more cap space by 2027 as they continue to build a perennial contender around Jayson Tatum. Bringing in Curry now to pair with Tatum would keep Boston very much in the conversation for Finals favorites while setting up a more financially flexible transition to continue being elite once Curry retires.
Would a Boston core of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Curry, Tatum, Al Horford, and Payton Pritchard not be in the mix to win it all this year? That’s a tough argument to make.
Then you have Golden State, who would have to make the extremely difficult decision to trade the face of their franchise. Parting ways with Curry seems like a sacrilegious exercise, but from a basketball standpoint, getting a 28-year-old Brown (and a 29-year-old Porzingis) back in exchange for Curry would allow Golden State to enter into a new phase that excites its fan base.
Brown is a legitimate superstar, and it would be fascinating to see him operate as a true No. 1 option as he plays out the best years of his athletic prime, which have just begun.
At some point, Golden State is going to have to move on from Curry, Draymond, and in general, the past. Why not get a head start on that process and avoid entering a huge downturn in quality after the Curry era?
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