Some of the aggregation around a hypothetical Celtics trade for Stephen Curry has gotten completely out of control, as my counterpart, Sam LaFrance, pointed out recently. So, it’s important to point out that there’s no credible reporting suggesting that the Warriors are even considering dealing their franchise icon, or that Boston has shown interest.
However, it’s not hard at all to speculate and connect the dots. Curry has a history of liking New England, he has a relationship with Jayson Tatum from Team USA (the two were supposedly golfing together recently on Martha’s Vineyard), and the basketball fit makes perfect sense.
Curry would be the stud shooting point guard that Boston needs, and putting him into Joe Mazzulla’s offense would be magical. There’s a ready-made trade package with Paul George’s contract as the main chunk of salary, and Boston could appease Golden State with picks and players to kick-start their rebuild.
Curry trade to Boston makes sense for everyone
And finally, Curry is entering the final year of his deal, and other than loyalty to his team and a desire to play his entire career with one franchise, it’s hard to make a strong argument for Curry to want to stay and waste his final few seasons on a team that has no real path to competing.
I still think it’s a long shot that the Warriors actually decide to push the nuclear button or Curry asks out, but in the modern NBA, and given all of the overwhelming reasons for it to happen, it’s impossible not to at least consider it. And if it does get to that point, the Celtics make as much sense as any team in the league for the future Hall of Famer to chase a few more rings.
Horford's decisions to leave Boston keep looking worse
And if this unlikely scenario were actually to come to fruition, talk about one final humiliation for poor Al Horford. Not once, but twice, Big Al has foolishly left the Celtics in free agency for perceived greener pastures, only to find himself in disastrous situations each time. His first exit to Philadelphia went so poorly that the team salary dumped him after a season, and it looked like his career might be over before Stevens rescued him from OKC.
The second time, it’s understandable he thought Boston was heading for a gap year last season, but he joined a Warriors team that didn’t even make the playoffs and appears destined for the lottery again next year. And if Al’s new team completely blows it up and sends Curry back to Boston, Al would be left to waste away on a Golden State team that would immediately be among the worst in the league while his old friends in Boston would be immediate title contenders, if not favorites.
Al has been an amazing player and teammate, and he’ll always be a Celtics legend who played a huge role in raising banner 18. But Al Horford the GM? Not so much. His decision-making has been beyond questionable, and if he had just trusted the Celtics organization and stayed all along, he could have experienced even more glory (perhaps a bubble Finals appearance in 2020 and a much higher playoff floor last season?).
The only saving grace for Horford in this scenario is if he can find a way to wiggle his way into the deal along with Curry and have his career saved by the Celtics for a third time. Some fans may be done with Al, but I, for one, would welcome him back with open arms. He has been written off before, and that proved foolish. I think he’s got enough left in the tank for one more run, and he should start convincing Steph to help him make it happen.
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