Getty Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry warms up prior to the team's 2021-2022 season-opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21, 2021.
The Golden State Warriors have lost just one game this season but despite the success, it has not been all sunshine and smiles in the Bay Area.
For the first time, the team that went to five straight NBA Finals last decade has become the subject of rumors involving at least mild discord within the inner circle of its organization. That friction begins with the face of the franchise, point guard Steph Curry.
In short, Curry wants Warriors owner Joe Lacob and president of basketball operations Bob Myers to go all-in with win-now moves that would likely involve trading some of the team’s young assets for an established star. Lacob and Myers, however, have taken a longer view — at least up to this point.
Anthony Slater, of The Athletic, appeared on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto Wednesday, November 3 to discuss the tension between Curry and Dubs’ management over player personnel decisions. Slater stated:
They’re really in a transition phase as a franchise. Ownership is clearly prioritizing the long-term along with winning now. Joe Lacob would argue he’s paying the highest tax bill ever and is trying to win this season.
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”smxtj0dzay” question=”Who’s right? Lacob or Steph?” opened=”1″]They also have three lottery picks in the last two years, and they’ve gone teenagers with all three, and projects with two of them in James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga. Lacob has made it clear he’s not interested in trading those guys. He’s interested in those guys bridging into the next decade. That’s a little counterintuitive to what Curry wants. He wants to maximize the next few years. I think there could’ve been, and really behind the scenes, there has been a little friction about that juggling of timelines.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]
Conflict Could Drive Curry From Golden State Down the Road
Getty ImagesGolden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers walks past point guard Stephen Curry.
To be clear, a divorce between Curry and the Warriors is far from imminent. But long-term NBA relationships have ended before over differences between players and ownership on personnel and/or the general direction of the team. See Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, for instance.
The Warriors, still without shooting guard Klay Thompson until at least Christmas, have built a 6-1 record on the back of Curry’s offense, Draymond Green’s defense and a stable of young upstart players like Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Gary Payton II, to name just a few. The team clearly has a window now to contend for a championship, with its Big 3 all under contract. That window won’t be open forever, though, as all three have birthdays coming up in the latter half of the regular season — Curry will turn 34, while Green and Thompson will each turn 32.
Slater said that, at least for now, Curry is fully committed to remaining a Warrior for life. However, any years he considers squandered after two seasons lost to injuries suffered by both himself and Thompson could add some animosity to the equation.
“Curry said he wants to be in Golden State and signed a full five-year max. Now that he’s locked into that one, which will take him into his mid- to late-30s, I think he’s pretty dead set on finishing out as a Warrior,” Slater said. “His family loves the Bay Area. He will be the number one franchise icon.”
Curry Sees Allure in Old School Notion of Being a One-Team Player
GettyGolden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry during the team’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 21, 2021.
Slater continued, saying that Curry has invoked the names of famous one-team players across the world of sports when talking about the kind of legacy he wants to leave in the NBA — another good omen for working things out in Golden State.
“He’s mentioned Tim Duncan, Derek Jeter, Dirk Nowitzki. Those situations and those careers really appeal to him, and the idea of being a one-franchise superstar,” Slater said. “I think the most sensitive potential situation would’ve been right now if he decided not to sign his extension this past summer.”
Should the Warriors win a title this year or the next without making a move for a fourth star, the argument is likely put to bed. But falling even one win short in an NBA Finals will create some urgency among the Warriors’ Big 3, as Green only has two years left on his current contract with a player option after this season.