The noise around the Stephen Curry rumors has gotten awfully loud this summer, and you know there’s lots of smoke around the situation because Warrior’s General Manager, Mike Dunleavy, has even addressed the situation. On Tuesday, Dunleavy told the media:
"There are two things I'm confident about Steph (Curry): He wants to win, and he wants to finish his career as a Warrior."
And sure, that sounds great, but the question then has to be asked: which one of those goals does he care about more? Because the chances of him winning another championship in Golden State are extremely slim. The Warriors have failed Curry in recent years, swinging and missing at one star addition after another, and now they’ve left him with a supporting cast that couldn’t even make the playoffs last season.
Warriors have no clear path to contention any time soon
Now, the Western Conference is better, and teams are no longer tanking. On top of that, the closest thing Steph has to a co-star is a soon-to-be 37-year-old Jimmy Butler who has a long way to go in his ACL recovery.
This team was 37-45 last season, and on paper, they should be even worse this season. There have already been suggestions floating around that this is going to be a gap year in Golden State, but a gap to what? It’s not like there’s some secret solution waiting for them next summer. They’ve been trying to make upgrades for ages and haven’t been able to.
Now, Curry is 38 years old, and while he’s still playing at an extremely high level, this isn’t going to last forever. It’s admirable that he wants to be a one-franchise player, and he has been extremely loyal to the Warriors, and it has paid off with four championships. There’s no shame in riding things out on a team that’s more of a sideshow than a contender, much like Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, and countless others.
But if Steph truly wants to win, then he’s going to have to make a tough decision. And it certainly feels like we are headed for a crossroads of sorts where he has to choose which thing he actually cares about more: winning or finishing his career as a Warrior.
Joining Celtics wouldn't hurt Curry's legacy at all
If he wants to add titles to his resume, he should probably start looking elsewhere, and that’s why the rumors have heated up recently, with all of the connections to the Celtics being made. If Steph is serious about leaving, Boston has to be on the short list, and a partnership with Jayson Tatum could do wonders for each player’s legacy.
He is already the most accomplished player in Warriors history, and the franchise will be retiring his number, erecting a statue of him outside the arena, and lauding him with whatever else they can dream up. That’s not going to change simply because he ended his career by playing for a different team in his late 30s. In fact, I’d imagine a lot of Warriors fans would even understand it and want to see Curry playing meaningful basketball again before it’s too late.
Did Tom Brady leaving the Patriots for the Buccaneers hurt his legacy or the way Patriots fans feel about him? Absolutely not. If anything, the ring in Tampa further cemented his GOAT legacy, and he has a giant statue outside of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. This is obviously a tough one for Steph, but at the end of the day it should be a no-brainer.
And hey, maybe he can accomplish both of those goals after all. Dunleavy said Curry wants to “finish his career as a Warrior”. There’s no reason he can’t play three or four seasons for the Celtics, raise a couple of banners, and then sign a 1-day contract with the Warriors and call it a career. That sounds like the perfect storybook ending from my vantage point, at least.
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