The bond between the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry stands as one of the most iconic displays of loyalty in NBA history. While rumors of a potential Curry departure have surfaced recently—even if an actual exit remains unlikely—questions persist regarding how the organization would handle such a scenario internally. General Manager Mike Dunleavy provided clarity on the matter.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. said he would not deny Steph the chance to move if he so desired it. Speaking in a recent chat with The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Dunleavy explained what it would actually look like if the veteran point guard opted out of San Francisco. “Ultimately, it’s his call, his decision, whether that’s allowing his contract to run out and move on,” Dunleavy said on Tuesday.
“Look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, [controlling owner] Joe [Lacob] and I will talk it through. We wouldn’t love it. But he’s earned the right to do what he wants. But as far as the messaging or any idea that he’d be anywhere else, that’s not a thing we’re looking at, or he’s looking at.”
What the Warriors want to avoid most
Despite Dunleavy stating the front office would not stand in his way, letting the greatest player in franchise history leave without a fight would bring unprecedented pain to the organization, adding to the heavy criticism management has faced in recent years.
Stephen Curry of Golden State Warriors.
Curry remains in top form. As a four-time champion and two-time MVP, he is the greatest Warrior ever and is coming off another excellent NBA season with averages of 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, on 46.8% shooting from the field.
But at 38 years old, Steph is approaching the end of his storied career, and he wants to go out the way he deserves: as a winner. The problem is, the Warriors are not in a position to contend as currently constructed. Besides Curry and Kristaps Porzingis, they lack veteran scoring options.
Warriors dealing with major injuries
They are also dealing with major injuries to both Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody. For Dunleavy, the challenge this summer was finding the balance between talent and availability. The picture looks even worse considering the team did not pursue LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Constructing [the roster], we had to make a decision between talent and availability,” Dunleavy added. “There was no perfect solution in terms of the combination of the two. We leaned a little bit more toward talent… We are taking on some risk there, but I think we value the talent over maybe finding guys that were perfectly healthy.”
