A Warriors team without Curry at the franchise forefront sounds unrecognizable, doesn’t it? Well, here’s the thing: That day is coming regardless of how he and the team handle his twilight, and it’s coming sooner rather than later.
In fact, Golden State could be sitting on the cusp of a top-to-bottom overhaul even without steering things into hypothetical-trade territory. Just four Warriors have fully guaranteed salaries for 2027-28: Moses Moody, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos and Will Richard. No one is officially on the books beyond that.
That’s not due to a total lack of foresight. In fact, Golden State has arguably had too big a fixation on the future. Warriors governor Joe Lacob has a “fear of what life after Steph will be like,” per The Ringer’s Logan Murdock, and that fear “has been the biggest reason the team has opted not to exchange more future draft picks for immediate help.”
Golden State, in a sense, wants to keep all of its options for the post-Curry era, which effectively forces it to accept mediocrity in the present-Curry era. But this plan also works against that post-Curry era, since his mere present prevents the kind of bottoming out that—prior to the latest lottery reform, at least—could have delivered some blue-chip prospects to the Bay Area.
The Warriors are on course to have a near-wiped-clean slate next summer. They’d cut into that with this blockbuster trade—Paul George holds a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28—but splitting from Curry might (and should) dial back the aggressiveness for 2027 free agency, anyway. Not to mention, free agency hasn’t been the most fruitful place for meaningful additions under this collective bargaining agreement.
They’d still have a ton of money coming off the books next summer, and they’d have two extra first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and an intriguing prospect in Chris Cenac Jr. to help brighten their long-term outlook. So, they’d be flexible for win-now or win-soon splashes if they chose to go that route, but they’d also be equipped to take a much longer view for roster reconstruction.
Either way, they’d finally have a clear direction for the post-Curry years and more resources to help put that plan into action. And Curry, in turn, would have the chance to compete at a high level he so badly covets, plus the knowledge that he didn’t leave his longtime employer high and dry.
Sentimentally, it’d be too painful to call this a win-win outcome, but objectively, this might make sense for the Warriors.