Warriors nearly traded Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul

The NBA is where amazing happens. But that motto doesn’t just apply to what goes down on the court. A big trade, a phone call, an injury, or just a pinch of luck can turn a struggling team into a dynasty or turn a franchise around.

A simple move could change the course of NBA history forever. The Dirk Nowitzki trade to the Mavericks, the Bulls trading for Scottie Pippen, or how Kevin Garnett wanted to team up with Kobe Bryantbut the latter never picked up the phone. It’s happened over and over.

Luckily for the Golden State Warriors, that wasn’t the case with them, as they failed to pull off a franchise-altering trade that could’ve been a disaster for them. According to Ethan Strauss, they tried to trade the Splash Brothers for Chris Paul.

The Trade That Could’ve Changed The NBA: Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson For Chris Paul

“The Warriors attempted to trade Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul in 2011,” Strauss reported. “It was far from the only time Curry was shopped, but in this instance, the deal was very close to completion. Myers made the offer and Hornets GM Dell Demps was receptive.”

Chris Paul Killed The Deal

“The catch was Chris Paul, who wanted out of New Orleans but had no intention of playing for the woebegone Warriors,” Strauss added. “Paul told the Warriors they could do this trade, but he wouldn’t be staying when his contract was up at season’s end.”

Per Strauss, that wasn’t the only time the Warriors tried to package their young stars to land a win-now kind of player. Gladly for them, those talks came to no fruition, mostly because of league-wide concerns about Stephen Curry’s ankles:

“The Hornets weren’t the only organization to narrowly lose out on the deal of a lifetime,” added Strauss. “According to one GM, ‘The Warriors were blind lucky that they were unsuccessful in trading Steph and Klay together for the stars they offered them together for,’ he said. ‘There were many, many people they tried to get and failed.'”

Fast-forward to today and the Warriors won three NBA championships in a five-year span. Both Curry and Thompson will have their jerseys retired and maybe even a statue at CHASE Center. What could’ve been…