Warriors Star Steph Curry Sends Message to Departing Guard

Getty Images Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

Steph Curry bid farewell to his Golden State Warriors teammate and brother-in-law Damion Lee on Saturday, wishing him well with the Phoenix Suns.

Lee signed with the Suns this offseason after winning a title with Curry and the Warriors. It’s clear his presence is one that will be missed by the Golden State star and his comrades.

“Time to blossom even more my brother. Gonna miss what you brought to the team on & off the court! Suns got a great one. #nowhiteflags,” Curry tweeted on July 16, retweeting the team’s thank you post to Lee.

Lee is a veteran presence who may be able to carve out a role on the Suns — the top seed in the Western Conference last season after reeling off a 64-18 record. Lee appeared in 63 games for the Warriors during the 2021-22 season, averaging 7.4 points on 44.1% from the field and 88.0% from the free throw line. He added 3.2 rebounds in 19.9 minutes. The 29-year-old also played in 16 postseason games during Golden State’s playoff run but didn’t play a huge role.

Damion Lee Thanks Warriors After New Deal

For his career, Lee is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 216 games with the Warriors and brief stints with the Celtics and Hawks. His best year came during the 2019-20 campaign, with the Warriors dealing with a bevy on injuries. He posted career highs of 12.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

“These last 4 years have been nothing short of amazing! Thank you to the
Warriors organization for an unbelievable ride! Love and appreciate y’all more than you’ll ever know!” Lee tweeted shortly after inking the deal with Phoenix.

Lee will now get the chance to play with another Hall of Fame-bound guard in Chris Paul as he looks to crack the rotation in Phoenix. Lee is married to Sydel Curry, the younger sister of Steph.

Warriors Hoping to Keep Championship Roster Intact

The Warriors have seen some guys move on — like Lee, Nemanja Bjelica, Otto Porter, Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson — but they still will return the majority of their core for next season as they look to defend their title.

The Warriors are facing a massive luxury tax bill but were hoping to keep the roster intact for this year — and further down the line.

“Free agency, unrestricted especially … it is in our control to a certain extent, but in some ways, it’s not,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said on June 17. “I hope that our players will give us a chance to respond to an offer. They don’t have to. They don’t owe it to us. But that’s what you get if you win and you create a good environment. You might get a chance to match something.

“Our goal, our hope is to bring all those guys back and try to do it again. They were all great in different ways and all fill different needs for us. … A lot of our free agents had big moments in the NBA Finals, which means they’re pretty important.”

In the case of Porter and Payton, the Warriors simply could not match the money they were getting elsewhere.