They refused to. They were unable to. Correct? 

The Warriors might potentially escape their current situation through trades, draft picks, and free agent additions, but dealing Stephen Curry appears to be the least likely option. After all, he is the player most accountable for transforming a once-morbid and uninspired NBA organization into a dominant force in the league and one of the greatest dynasty teams in modern history.

Curry has spent 15 seasons with the Warriors and has spearheaded four championship campaigns. He completely changed the way that NBA basketball is played and seen now (can you imagine a Caitlin Clark without a Steph?). And he’s done it all for the Warriors, who were considered a joke for years—decades, practically—prior to his selection in the 2009 NBA draft.

But at 35 years old, Curry may need to find a new home or be traded, since the Warriors seem to be at a stalemate with the current squad and his days as a contender are all but over.

Veteran and well-respected San Francisco Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler, at least, feels that way about what he acknowledges is a “unpleasant but necessary discussion.”

Warriors Need to “Think About the Unthinkable”

This week’s essay, “Why the Warriors need to consider the unthinkable: trading Steph Curry,” by Ostler, argues that the Warriors would only make such a move in the future if two requirements were satisfied. One is that, as Curry gets older, the team faces a “embarrassing future.”

He continues, “The other would be if Curry approved of a move out of town in search of a new team where he could succeed.”

In the event that a different team extends an offer to the Warriors that would yield a plethora of draft selections and prospects in return for Curry, the Warriors ought to at least take a look at it and extend it to Curry.

“The goal of the Warriors’ roster and playing-time decisions over the last few seasons has been to maximize the Curry Window,” the team stated. However, it’s conceivable that Curry will only have a legitimate chance to win a title with a different team.

Last year, Stephen Curry averaged 26.4 points.

For a club that has seen Curry—coming off a season in which he averaged 26.4 points on 40.8% 3-point shooting—maintain his individual greatness while the other two key players on the team have faltered, that is a harsh reality. That would be Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

At their best, both were known as elite defensive players, but they have both seen their abilities decline. Despite being overpaid for the four-year contract he signed this summer—100 million dollars—Green is still a valuable point-forward type.

Despite his season-long struggles, Thompson is still hoping for a sizable summer salary.

Rebuilding around Curry would be made easier by trading away Green and allowing Thompson to enter free agency. But with a man at the end of his 30s, you don’t rebuild. Furthermore, it’s unlikely that the Warriors would find two more players deserving of championships to start alongside Curry.

The argument goes that perhaps it would be better to just uproot Curry rather than the entire team around him.

Whatever and however the top three split up, Curry will experience an emotional breakdown. However, rather than just continuing until the wheels come off, Ostler noted, “it might be less painful—and more dignified—if it happens via intelligent design.”