Steph Curry Must Make Controversial Move to Change Warriors' Trajectory

After missing on LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors appear destined for another disappointing season.

In an alternate reality, the Warriors have a front office that values Stephen Curry's present contention chances over preserving all of their future first-round draft capital.

In this reality, the Dubs have been at least one move away for the last four years from major contention, and they've chosen not to make that move partially because Curry hasn't put enough pressure on them to win now.

By all accounts, Curry is patient and loyal, and those are admirable qualities.

But it's time for Curry to put pressure on the Warriors, and there's one obvious move he can make to do that.

Curry Must Not Sign Contract Extension

Curry is under contract for one more season at $62.6 million. He's eligible to sign a two-year extension on August 29.

The Curry of old would sign an extension in part because of his patience and loyalty. He'd think that being under contract for multiple years would allow the front office more clarity in their plans to make win-now moves. After all, one would think that knowing the star player will be around longer would spur bolder trade and free-agency activity.

But that's not what has happened.

Since the beginning of the 2019-20 regular season, the Warriors have traded one first-round pick that has actually conveyed, which was a 2025 first in the Jimmy Butler deal.

Curry's patience and loyalty have been taken for granted.

And when the star player is being taken for granted for as long as Curry has, the only move is to not sign a contract extension until the front office supports the star.

To be clear, the star player should not have to do this, especially in Curry's case. Team governor Joe Lacob should be doing everything in his power to make the Warriors a contender for Curry considering the two-time MVP has made the team one of the most valuables franchises in sports.

And beyond that, Curry is still playing at a high enough level that the Warriors can seriously contend if the front office supports him with a better roster.

Current Plan Is Not Reasonable

It's looking more and more like the Warriors have no plan to dramatically improve the roster.

What we'll see over the coming weeks is a) their plan is to tread water until Butler returns and b) how that plan is actually reasonable and has a realistic chance of working.

But it's not reasonable, and it doesn't have a realistic chance of working.

It would be one thing if Butler were expected to miss just the first 10 games. But he will likely miss more than half of the season.

The Warriors are asking Curry, at 38 years old, to play over half of the season while being double-teamed at a league-high rate because the team has limited offensive talent around him.

Putting Curry through this is asking him to suffer another serious injury. And even if he doesn't, he'll be exhausted to the point that he'll have a performance decline.

By the time Butler comes back, the Warriors will likely be hovering around the 10th seed with no way of avoiding the play-in tournament.

Curry's Pressure Could Lead to Immediate Trade

Curry is the biggest money driver in the NBA. Fans are willing to pay big ticket prices to see the four-time champion. That's why any threat of Curry leaving in a year will get Lacob's attention.

Lacob wants Curry to spend the rest of his career with the Warriors, but he also wants to build a contender in the post-Curry era as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that is to keep all of the future first-round picks.

But Lacob can't have it both ways if Curry seriously considers leaving in 2027 free agency.

It's not clear what trade the Warriors would make if they feel forced to support Curry. They probably won't be getting incredible value, as they won't have leverage if rival teams sense that the Dubs are worried about Curry leaving.

But it's time for the Dubs to make a move even if it's not perfect value.

Curry is 38. The perfect trade the Warriors have been waiting for hasn't come in years, and it's probably not coming. Waiting any longer would be a slap in the face to the franchise icon.

I'm not saying the Dubs should have no trade-price limit. For example, the Pelicans' reported asking price of the Warriors' best young player and three first-round picks is too much.

But the Dubs should be willing to raise their reported offer of two firsts to three firsts.

Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. should be thinking, "Within reason, whatever it takes to help Curry." It's not too late for them to act accordingly.

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