Entering an offseason that came much earlier than expected, the defending-champion Golden State Warriors are in clear need of additional support around their Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson-Draymond Green core. And, surprisingly, the team may need more help on the offensive end than anywhere else.
During the postseason, the Dubs logged an offensive rating of 110.9 and an effective field-goal percentage of 52.5 (marks that ranked ninth and 10th out of 16 playoff teams, respectively). For comparison, Steph and Co. scored 114.5 points per 100 possessions with an eFG% of 56.1 during their 2022 title run.
As it happens a career 11.0-point scorer who has shot 40% or better from three in each of the last seven seasons is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and it just so happens that this sharpshooter already has a strong connection to the Warriors.
That player: Steph’s younger brother, Seth Curry.
On Thursday, the ballin’ brothers’ retired father, 16-year NBA vet Dell Curry, weighed in on the possibility that his sons could join forces while he was out promoting the American Century Golf Championship on Thursday.
Dell Curry Addresses the Idea that Steph & Seth Curry Could Reunite on the Warriors
While he opined that Seth and Steph teaming up in the Bay is likely a “longshot,” the elder Curry — who played in over 1,000 career games with five teams and sunk 1,245 triples along the way — stopped well short of closing the door on the idea.
“There’s always that possibility,” Dell Curry said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “The salary cap and all that is going to come into play. But I think that would be a good market for Seth as a shooter. We know how important threes are, and he’s one of the best in the league to do it.”
In 19.9 minutes per outing off the bench for the Brooklyn Nets this season, Seth Curry averaged 9.2 PPG and shot 40.5% from distance, and it’s not difficult to envision him contributing something similar in a Warriors uniform next year. As Dell Curry alluded to, though, there would be some serious financial hurdles to clear.
Assuming Green opts in for the final year of his deal, Golden State is looking at paying out something in the neighborhood of $200 million in salary in 2023-24. And when you factor in the stiff repeater tax penalties the club will have to pay, that number grows exponentially.
So, even a modest, fair-market deal for Seth Curry could end up costing the Warriors an incredible amount of money. That’s not the only thing standing in the way of a potential partnership, either.
Seth Curry May Not Be Interested in Joining His Superstar Brother
The Curry patriarch further noted that Seth may have some hang-ups about signing with his big brother’s team, saying: “I’m not sure what they think about it, especially Seth. Seth has always been a guy that wants to make his own way, write his own story, create his own narrative.”
This tracks with comments made by Seth Curry to NBC Sports Bay Area last summer:
You never know what the future holds. I wouldn’t be against it, but it’s definitely not my preferred choice to be on the same team as him — definitely right now. I also like competing against him and trying to beat the best.
Being a younger brother gave me another leg up and an edge to get to where I am today. I always had somebody that I was chasing to be as good as, or better than, in literally everything, not only just basketball.
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Dell Curry Sounds Off on Steph & Seth Potentially Teaming Up With Warriors