Compilation of Media Members Questioning Warriors' Direction with Steph

For perhaps the first time since the dynasty started, several local and national media members are simultaneously questioning what the Golden State Warriors have been doing with their roster over the last few years.

Just about everyone is in agreement that Stephen Curry is still good enough to lead a contending team on a deep playoff run, yet the Warriors are choosing not to support him.

Here is a compilation of five media members calling out team governor Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. to make a trade to help Curry.

Bomani Jones

"Ever since [the Warriors] went on that two timelines nonsense, they have been actively trying to prepare for tomorrow, and this league doesn't really allow you to play for tomorrow and play for today at the same time. It's amazing they won the [2022] championship when they did. And why did they win that championship when they did? Because they had Steph Curry. That's why. They still have Steph Curry, and this is not like the last couple years for the Lakers where, like, Kobe was cooked. ...

"You got the guy and he's still pretty good right now and you're out loud talking about 'What're we going to do tomorrow?' That's the beauty of being the owner—can't nobody fire you for being stupid."

Jones said this Monday on his podcast. He also said, "If you don't think Steph is a right-now dude, somebody does." It seems Jones is implying that you might as well trade him if you aren't going to support him.

Bill Simmons

"Why are you so desperate just to waste the end of the Steph era? ... Do you think just think Steph can't be the best guy on a championship team anymore? '22 can never happen again, so even stacking the deck, they have no chance against San Antonio and OKC?"

Simmons concluded with: "I think it's outrageous [that they aren't supporting him more]. We saw it in the Olympics. This is somebody who should have more relevant basketball moments and shouldn't be in a play-in game, and I don't know what they're doing."

It's possible the Warriors don't believe in Curry's ability to lead them on a deep playoff run anymore, which is why they won't trade high-value draft capital to help him.

But on a recent episode of the Light Years podcast, Sam Esfandiari said he thinks Lacob is only willing to trade a haul of first-round picks for a player who can sell tickets once Curry retires. With that mindset, the Warriors are limiting what they will offer, and that's partially why they are striking out in trade talks.

Sam Esfandiari

"I think the front office took advantage of [Curry]. He shouldn't have to be in a position to make those calls [on trading for help] because it's not his job to make those calls. ....

"I don't really think they cared about winning. I think they cared about the public perception because they knew they could convince him [why each trade idea fell through]."

The whole podcast is worth is a listen, as Esfandiari and Andy Liu go in-depth on how the front office has failed Curry. This Esfandiari quote is part of a larger discussion about how the front office has waited for the perfect trade that everyone would applaud instead of a trade that has obvious risks but could give Curry a real title chance.

Vince Goodwill

"This whole two-timeline garbage that they were trying to pull off, like, that's where all of this sort of stems from is, 'We're trying to plan ahead of Stephen Curry' as opposed to, 'Hey man, let's see if we can maximize and make the best of this.' Steph has never really threatened to go anywhere and the Warriors know that and that's why they've been able to do the things that they've been doing. If Steph kicked it a completely different way, then we would be having different conversations."

The ESPN writer is essentially saying Curry could change how the Warriors operate by telling them how dissatisfied he is with the roster.

That would be the first step. The next step would be not signing a contract extension when he's eligible for one in late August, and the last step would be threatening a trade demand.

Dalton Johnson

"If holding onto future draft picks in the post-Curry era is what matters most, then your priorities are wrong. If making sure the books are cleared for after Curry’s career, then your priorities are wrong."

The NBC Sports Bay Area writer also wrote that the Warriors have to make a trade if "a strong upgrade is available." But after years of mostly being inactive on the trade market, it seems unlikely they'll make such a move.

My Final Thoughts

I wrote here that Curry has been getting taken for granted for years and the Warriors should be doing everything in their power to support him "within reason."

I actually stand with the Warriors' decision to not overpay for Jaylen Brown, and there have been a few other times the Dubs were wise to hold their first-round picks in recent years.

But they've likely had several decent-value trades available to them over the last few years, and it's past time to stop turning those down.

Using the Lakers' strategy of waiting for next megastar to fall into their laps likely won't work for the Warriors.

To give Curry any chance over the last few years of his career, they'll need to make a trade and live with the fact that they won't have all of their first-round picks for their inevitable rebuild.

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