Warriors Source Admits Major Mistake in Building Around Steph Curry

It's a long overdue admission from the Warriors

Stephen Curry | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors have been prioritizing the future instead of the present for the last several years of Stephen Curry's career, and one source has admitted that was a mistake.

In reference to whether the Warriors should trade from their future first-round pick chest for win-now upgrades, a team source told ESPN's Anthony Slater the following:

"It's what should've been done four years ago. But not now."

Four years ago, the Warriors were just coming off winning their fourth title in eight years. Since then, they haven't put a roster around Curry that can win a championship.

Summer of 2022 Set Warriors on Wrong Path

Immediately after winning a championship in 2022, the Warriors could have traded James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga in the offseason for win-now pieces.

Instead, they gave Wiseman a runway as the starting center, and he had an awful start to the 2022-23 season that tanked just about all of his trade value. They ended up getting Gary Payton II for Wiseman, which was a disappointing return considering they could've re-signed Payton in the offseason but instead chose to prioritize saving money and getting younger.

Despite coming off the bench, Kuminga had trade value throughout the 2022-23 season. There were reports that the Warriors could have traded him (with other assets) for OG Anunoby at the 2023 trade deadline.

But they chose Kuminga's potential over Curry's present, and the result was the Warriors getting bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Lakers.

The Warriors had ample opportunities to trade Kuminga for the next two seasons, but when they finally decided to deal him at the 2026 deadline, he'd also lost much of his trade value.

In all, the Warriors have two second-round exits and two missed playoffs in the four seasons since their 2022 championship, which is unacceptable result considering how dominant Curry was during that time.

Is It Too Late to Course Correct?

Curry is now 38 years old. He's still playing at a very high level, but the Warriors have to at least consider the possibility that he'll either slow down or have more injury issues like he did this season, missing 39 games.

That's why trading multiple first-round picks for a star is more of a risky move than it was even a couple of years ago.

Does that mean the Warriors should hold on to every future first-rounder and watch Curry's twilight years end in mediocrity? I'd argue they should do something to be more competitive, but we're finally at the point in Curry's career when it makes sense to have a limit to how much of the future draft capital you're willing to give up.

Considering they own all of their future first-round picks, the Warriors have options. They can make big offers for players like Kawhi Leonard and Trey Murphy III.

But you have to wonder what general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and team governor Joe Lacob are saying behind closed doors about the future.

Maybe they'd be willing to give up two first-round picks for the right star. But I could see them saying three or more is a non-starter, which would likely take them out of the Murphy sweepstakes.