As Stephen Curry gears up for his first Olympic gold medal pursuit, he knows his basketball life will change significantly upon returning from Paris. This season, for the first time, Curry won’t share the locker room with Klay Thompson, who joined the Mavericks after 13 seasons with the Golden State Warriors. During their time together, Curry and Thompson formed the greatest shooting backcourt in history.
With Thompson’s departure, the once-imagined scenario of Golden State’s Big 3—Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green—ending their careers together now seems unlikely. This raises the question: Will Curry finish his career with the Warriors?
In a recent interview with Marc Spears of Andscape, Stephen Curry addressed this very question. Spears asked Curry if he would be content playing for the Warriors even if the team wasn’t competitive, similar to the later career experiences of Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki. Curry responded:
“It’s tough, right? I’ve always said I want to be a Warrior for life. At this stage in my career, I feel like that’s possible. And you can still be competitive; it doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed the championship. Winning is always a priority, but you need to shake things up and keep reimagining what it looks like to evolve with what the league is right now.
I’m taking it one step at a time. I think that’s the only way to protect my happiness. I want to win. If it is a situation where you’re a bottom feeder just because you want to stay there, I’d have a hard time with that. But I don’t think that’s going to be the reality.”
Curry’s stance isn’t new, except for his emphasis on not wanting to be on a non-competitive, bottom-feeder team. He believes the Warriors won’t put him in that position, and he’s likely right. If Curry’s primary condition is having a reasonably competitive team, the Warriors should meet that expectation for the foreseeable future.
Last season, the Warriors finished 10th in the Western Conference. One of the five teams below them, the Memphis Grizzlies, boasts a strong roster with Ja Morant, and the San Antonio Spurs are rising with Victor Wembanyama. Although the Warriors won 46 games last year, avoiding bottom-feeder status, they don’t have to fall far to risk slipping towards the bottom of the conference.
The Warriors have made moves to stay competitive, including adding De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson. Young talents Jonathan Kuminga, Brandon Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis are also poised to play vital roles. If the Warriors can trade for Lauri Markkanen from Utah, they could re-enter title contention.
However, unforeseen events could still derail plans. Curry’s openness to finishing his career elsewhere serves as a reminder to the Warriors’ organization to remain vigilant and competitive, ensuring they keep their star player satisfied.
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