Stephen Curry of the Warriors: Before the NBA Trade Deadline, Players “Can’t Be Naive”
Before Thursday’s deadline, Stephen Curry is aware that the Golden State Warriors are considering trade offers, and it doesn’t seem like he is blaming the front staff.
After Saturday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Curry told reporters, “The closer you get to [the deadline], you can’t be naive and act like calls aren’t being made” (6:15 mark). “But you have to be able to control what you can control in the locker room for us players. It is up to us to go out and perform and keep our position as a team that is a legitimate team that can win unless it is stated otherwise or decisions are made. And when the opportunity arises, you do things differently if you’re not.”
In the Warriors’ 141-134 defeat against the Hawks, Curry recorded a career-high 60 points, but the players surrounding the two-time MVP once again fell short. Andrew Wiggins finished with just two points in 19 minutes, Klay Thompson shot a horrifying 4-of-19 from the floor, and Draymond Green had trouble scoring even though he only had seven points.
All season long, the area around Curry has been a complete mess. Thompson is a shadow of his former self, and with free agency about to begin this summer, his future is unknown. Because to his persistent on-court aggression, Green has only played in 22 games this season. Less than a year after it began, Wiggins’ four-year, $109 million agreement already seems like an albatross.
Barring a trade, the Warriors’ dismal 21–25 overall record has no clear path to recovery. Chris Paul’s hand surgery recovery should not take too long, but counting on a 38-year-old sixth man, even one in the Hall of Fame, to save your season doesn’t seem very likely.
It hasn’t exactly helped that Golden State missed out on lottery selections Moses Moody (2021) and James Wiseman (2020). Although newcomer Brandin Podziemski appears to be a promising role player and Jonathan Kuminga is a long-term starter, this roster lacks a fundamental link between the two eras.
Curry is still a superstar, but he is getting close to 36 years old and is being asked to support a crumbling foundation. The Warriors’ 2022 title was a prize for sticking with their core, but it’s beginning to seem like a farewell tour.
