Steph Curry has always been penciled in as a player that would spend his entire career with one franchise. He has never complained about “not enough help,” and despite his team missing the playoffs in two-out-of-the-last-four seasons, he seems perfectly content staying in the Bay Area.
There are, however, plenty of people frustrated for Curry at the moment after The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami reported that the Warriors’ ownership group is just as focused on life after Curry as it is on this current window where Curry is still an elite player.
“What a shame,” Yahoo! NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor wrote on X. “Steph Curry is still one of the best players in the world. To not make an effort to win another title with him is truly a joke. And if you’re not going to do that, then you have to trade him. Instead, the Warriors are just wasting Steph’s final years.”
Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer, listed Curry as the biggest loser in the LeBron saga that ate up most of the month of July.
“[LeBron to the Warriors] was Steph’s last chance at relevance and it’s gone,” Simmons said on his podcast. “It is the saddest older NBA superstar situation since 2011 [Steve] Nash on the Suns, and 2007 [Kevin] Garnett before he got traded to Boston. Guys in purgatory that clearly have more to offer and it’s not going to happen.”
How did we get here?
The Warriors were in prime position to keep the dynasty rolling a few years back. They won the NBA title in 2022, and had first round picks like Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Golden State was banking on at least one of those players to blossom into a true star sidekick for Curry.
It just didn’t happen.
None of those players reached All-Star level, let alone All-NBA level, and Golden State’s “two timelines” approach ultimately failed. Without that young star emerging, the Warriors became a slow, aging, and injury-prone team; Curry missed 39 games in 2025-26, and Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in January 2026, knocking him out until 2027.
When lauded executive Bob Myers left Golden State in 2023, the Warriors promoted Mike Dunleavy Jr to the general manager position.
Dunleavy had been seen by some as shrewd by holding on to all of his team’s own first round draft picks, but now he is seen by most as an executive that is unable to make a significant move for a true superstar. He has been unable to reel in the big fish like Myers used to be able to do—Kevin Durant being the most memorable.
Dunleavy Jr reportedly rebuffed Jaylen Brown trade offers from the Celtics at this year’s trade deadline, and this summer before Brown was dealt to the 76ers in what was seen by most as a lopsided deal in favor of Philly.
“Why didn’t the Warriors trade for Jaylen Brown?,” Simmons asked on his podcast. “They weren’t interested. They didn’t even counter [a Boston offer]. When the Celtics were canvassing the league, doing the Jaylen firesale, Warriors by all accounts were not interested—for Jimmy Butler’s expiring [contract] and picks. The irony is, if they do that, I think LeBron goes there.
“Why are you so desperate to waste the end of the Steph era? You already did this. You held on to [James] Wiseman and then [Jonathan] Kuminga too long. Do you just think that Steph can’t be the No. 1 guy on a championship team anymore? 2022 will never happen again? Do they think even if they stacked the deck they’d have no chance against San Antonio or OKC?
“I don’t know what they’re doing.”
Steph Curry to Charlotte Hornets trade rumors
It seems that part of LeBron’s motivation for going to the Sixers was to break the team’s NBA lengthy title drought, as Philly has not won it all since 1983. LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, even went so far as to say that LeBron would have gone to the Knicks this off-season if New York had come up short in its title pursuit this past season.
Breaking alleged curses is very much IN with NBA players these days.
The Charlotte Hornets fanbase is arguably the most-starved group for a winner, not only in the NBA, but in all of sports. The Hornets were founded in 1988, but have never even made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Curry’s father, Dell, played for the Hornets from 1988 to 1998, during some of their most successful seasons. Steph’s dad is currently a Hornets TV announcer and has lived in Charlotte for decades.
Steph grew up in Charlotte, and went to college at nearby Davidson.
If Curry is put on the trading block, the Hornets would surely be at the top of his list of desired destinations (Curry does have a no-trade clause).
Charlotte is absolutely loaded with tradeable assets after the LaMelo Ball trade and the Miles Bridges trade, and GM Jeff Peterson seems to be gearing up for something massive.
Could we see a new version of the splash brothers, with Curry and Kon Knueppel, in the Queen City? It makes the most sense out of any of the other scenarios we list here.
Steph Curry to San Antonio Spurs trade rumors
If Curry is desperate for another ring, then San Antonio would be a logical landing spot. A pairing of Victor Wembanyama and Curry would give the Spurs one of the greatest inside-outside combos in NBA history.
“What if San Antonio, with De’Aaron Fox and all the picks they have, just said, [expletive] it?,” Simmons asked on his podcast. “Went to Golden State, said we’ll do Fox, you put the picks together any way you want, for a couple of years of Steph here. We’re trying to acquire the 2024 Olympic Steph, and he goes to San Antonio, tries to grab a couple more. It’s pretty interesting.”
The Spurs have a bevy of draft capital to dangle in a trade for superstar player, including a 2027 unprotected first round pick from the Atlanta Hawks.
Steph Curry to Philadelphia 76ers trade rumors
Not only did the Warriors lose out on LeBron, but their former star executive Myers was one of the main catalysts in getting “The King” to Philly.
Myers, who is currently the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (the managing entity for the 76ers), is extremely close with Curry.
Here is what Myers said about Curry when he left the Warriors in 2023:
“When I decided I was leaving, I went to see [Curry] for dinner. I cried when I told him I was done,” Myers said on The Old Man & Three podcast. “Mostly because I felt like I wasn’t going to see him every day. Not because I’m ‘giving up another chance to win a championship.’ None of that. It was more like this person’s not going to be in my life as much as they used to be and I’m doing this to myself.”
Myers left the Warriors organization on his own will.
It has been no secret that LeBron and Curry would like to play together in the NBA, but both players are obviously running out of time for that to happen.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2027.
If the Warriors have another lackluster campaign this coming season, and if the 76ers come up just short in their pursuit of the 2027 title, then Curry to the 76ers will gain some real “missing piece steam” given the Myers and LeBron connections.
The Sixers front office will be looking to unload the contract of Joel Embiid in the coming months. If the Warriors decide that they need to go into a complete rebuild—acquiring Embiid in a deal that sends out Curry—makes some sense. They could let Embiid’s contract expire (or trade it down the road for more assets), all while bottoming out for lottery picks.
Is a Trade on the Horizon?
Will Curry be content in closing out his career like Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki—being the undisputed face of the franchise but not having a real shot at another championship in his swan song years?
So, far it seems like he’s cool with it.
Draymond Green is back for one more season, as are Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. Title contention is likely not in the books, but this group should be able to at least sneak into the playoffs.
Is that good enough for Curry?
It remains highly unlikely that one of the league’s all-time sharpshooters is traded this summer, or in the next few months.
That said, this situation is certainly something to monitor as a veteran peer like LeBron continues to chase rings late in his career.
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