The Golden State Warriors were thought to be a finalist for LeBron James, and while that appeared to have been the case, their continued pursuit of a star player may not be so certain moving forward.
While the Warriors are open to going after the right guy, team reporter Tim Kawakami has recently suggested that they’re also wary of life after Stephen Curry, and that owner Joe Lacob has that in mind while constructing their roster as the franchise enters the final years of Curry’s career.
“I’m just saying from their mindset, and Warriors fans are going to scream about this, the Warriors are going to say, hey, two or three Yaxel Lendeborgs are proving valuable for the now and for the future. In this context, the Warriors will say we want three Yaxel Lendeborgs more than we would want the shot at Anthony Davis or whoever else fans might want. At this point, I don’t think not getting LeBron James is going to make them want to trade picks more… He’s (Joe Lacob) not selling the Warriors. What Lacob wants to do, and this might get Warriors fans mad, is he wants to build the next team after Steph Curry. Lacob has a very keen interest to show what this team can do with Steph Curry and then after Steph Curry,”
The 38-year-old Curry is about to enter the final year of his one-year, $62.59 million contract extension signed with the Warriors in 2024. He averaged 26.6 points per game, 4.7 assists per game, and 3.6 rebounds per game in 43 games played last season.
Kawakami isn’t suggesting that the Warriors have given up on competing for a championship with Curry, but it is fair to wonder whether the future Hall of Famer could eventually have thoughts of chasing one more title elsewhere, because right now, that’s seems very unlikely to happen in Golden State.
Boston, Toronto, and San Antonio are just some of the teams and fanbases who are already dreaming about the possibility of Curry becoming available. While it seems far-fetched right now, losing takes a toll, so we’ll have to see how the rest of the offseason goes and how the season starts for the Warriors before jumping to any conclusions about Curry’s future.
Next: Erik Karlsson Back to a Canadian Team Before Next Season?
