Warriors star Curry wants to end career with team, but tone has changed

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors walks to the locker room after their 118-94 NBA play-in tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings at Golden One Center in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Warriors reporter Danny Emerman shares his thoughts on the NBA midseason and beyond

Shortly after Team USA first gathered in Las Vegas to compete for Olympic gold, Steph Curry said he “obviously” only wants to play for the Warriors, but “things change quickly” in the wild environment of the NBA.

It was a somewhat casual commitment, and the quote resonated softly through the fan base. Curry reiterated his commitment to the Warriors, but didn’t he also leave the emergency exit slightly open?

This week, ESPN/Andscape’s Marc J. Spears took things a step further and revealed even more about Curry’s vision for the rest of his career.

“I’ve always said I want to be a Warrior for Life,” Curry told Andscape. “At this stage in my career, I think that’s possible.”

“I’m taking it one step at a time, honestly. I think that’s the only way to protect my happiness. It also allows me to be myself when I’m playing. And I’m going to continue to make the decisions that are best for me and my career at the end of the day when it comes to the imagination. I want to win. Let’s put it this way, it’s a long-winded way of saying that if it’s a situation where you’re a bottom feeder and it’s just because you want to stay there, I would have a hard time with that. But I don’t think that’s going to be the reality.”

For someone who has always said he wants a Warrior to retire, whose association with the franchise has been legitimately special, Curry’s new stance is no longer unique. His connection to the Warriors is conditional — as it should be. If the team hits rock bottom, it can’t expect the most loyal, selfless superstar in the modern NBA to keep going. The Warriors are more beholden to Curry than he is to them.

The organization certainly wasn’t surprised by Curry’s quotes. They’re in meetings with him, since he’s privy to the team’s decisions and helps shape its direction. If he’s been comfortable sharing his feelings publicly, he’s undoubtedly shared at least as much behind closed doors. Curry has never in the past made public power moves to pressure his front office, unlike some of his colleagues.

That doesn’t mean the comments shouldn’t put Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Co. on their guard. Before this summer, Curry had nothing but a passionate commitment to being a Warrior For Life. There was already pressure on the front office to improve the roster, and now the consequences of not doing so are already apparent.

Dirk Nowitzki’s last three seasons with the Mavericks ended without a postseason berth. So did Kobe Bryant’s last three seasons with the Lakers.

Curry doesn’t want to go down the same path as Bryant and Nowitzki — spending their final seasons playing for irrelevant teams to stay with the only franchise they know. The Warriors can’t let that be an option.

Debunking the Myth About the Company Line on Draymond

The Warriors’ message about what went wrong last season and how the team will evolve in 2024-25 largely revolves around one man: Draymond Green.

If Green hadn’t missed so much time, the thinking goes, the Warriors would have won 50 or so games instead of 46. He’ll be available much more next season, meaning the Warriors should improve dramatically with more consistent continuity and Green’s sheer presence.

Is this theory correct as an explanation for last season’s lottery results and as a predictor of next year’s?

Green missed 31 games last season due to injury or suspension, including the four games he was ejected from. Without Green, the Warriors went 14-17 (.451).

In the 51 games Green played, the Warriors went 32-19 (.627). With Green, the Warriors were on a 51-win pace, the number of games the Clippers needed to win to clinch fourth place.

The sheer difference shows just how valuable Green is to the Warriors, and how effective he continues to be. The Warriors’ net rating was 4.6 points better with him on the court than off it, trailing only Brandin Podziemski (+8.7) in Golden State’s main rotation.

Green remains a completely integral part of how the Warriors operate. Last year they were nearly elite with him. They were a bad team without him.

Once that’s determined, the question becomes whether Green can remain on the field if he stays healthy and doesn’t end up in league office jail.

That’s a more interesting conversation than “Green plays; Warriors are good.”

Green was healthy in 2022-23 and played in 73 games. He had played in just 46 and 63 games in the two full seasons prior to that. He is 34 years old and has a history of back problems. He plays one of the most physically grueling styles, more often than ever at the even more demanding center position.

Even though the well-intentioned rehabilitation Green has undergone means he no longer has to visit the manager’s office, it’s still a tall order to expect him to play 70-plus games.

It’s obvious the Warriors are better when Green is available. The concern is how they get better than .500 when he inevitably misses time for one reason or another.