Steve Kerr Reveals Steph Curry Was Almost Traded to Suns
Even before Steve Kerr was a member of the Golden State Warriors, he loved Steph Curry. So much so, that when Kerr was GM of the Phoenix Suns, he was trying to draft Steph.
On a new episode of the show Headliners with Rachel Nichols, Steve Kerr revealed how Steph Curry was almost a member of the Phoenix Suns.
"I was the GM in Phoenix from 07-10, so your draft year was 09," Kerr said to Curry. "We were looking at Steph and seeing Steve Nash, the next version. They were so alike in so many ways, and we had watched just become two-time MVP. So, all of the concerns that most of the people in the league had about Steph in terms of size and defense and athleticism, we saw everything we needed to see in that Steve had just done so much in the league."
What's even more shocking is that Kerr actually thought Steph to the Suns was going to be a done deal. It was basically a handshake deal over the phone, but somehow it fell through in the final moments.
"We tried to trade for him, and we thought we had a deal the night before the draft, it wasn't completed," Kerr said. "It was basically a discussion over the phone that we thought was done, so when he fell to 7, our draft room erupted. Because we thought the deal was in place and Steph was going to be a Phoenix Sun. It didn't happen, it fell through. We knew how much we liked him, and that was part of the appeal when I was offered the job to come to the Warriors.
The domino effect of decisions in the NBA is one that will always be shocking. Steph Curry could have been a member of the Phoenix Suns, and Kobe Bryant could have been a member of the Clippers. There are so many little decisions that completely change the direction of franchises. Fortunately for Golden State, they made the right one.
