The Warriors (19-20) fell below .500 for the first time this season with a 104-101 loss to the Raptors on Monday. It’s been quite the downfall for a team that started 12-3, only to go 7-17 since.
With the Feb. 6 trade deadline looming, the Warriors are under pressure to upgrade the roster, especially with Stephen Curry turning 37 in March. Many believe the next 12-18 months present Curry his final opportunity to contend for a fifth championship.
Even as he and his Warriors are in a race against Father Time, Curry has urged his front office against hasty decisions. After Monday’s loss, Curry echoed the sentiments of Draymond Green — that the Warriors must avoid sacrificing the future for a chance to win now.
“Desperate trades or desperate moves that deplete the future, like, there is a responsibility on allowing or keeping the franchise in a good space and good spot when it comes to where we leave this thing when we’re done,” Curry said, via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “It doesn’t mean you’re not trying to get better or you’re not active in any type of search to, if you have an opportunity where a trade makes sense or even in the summer free agency [move] makes sense. You want to continue to get better.”
Curry stressed that the last thing he wants is to see the Warriors in a “stale situation” where they pass on opportunities to improve. Yet, he also doesn’t want the franchise that drafted him No. 7 overall in 2009 to be depleted of assets when he walks away into the sunset.
While Curry didn’t mention Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski, he was likely referring to the young duo that has reportedly garnered interest around the league. The Warriors previously refused to part with either player in the offseason in trades involving Paul George and Lauri Markkanen.
If the Warriors miss the playoffs again, it’d mean Curry won’t get to play for a championship for a second consecutive season. Objectively, the Warriors would have failed him. But it’s a testament to Curry’s leadership that he has remained patient on a losing ball club.
