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Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is currently signed to a deal with the team through the 2026-27 season. But his declining production and lack of a fellow star on the roster have hampered Golden State’s ability to win games.
Currently sitting at the 12 spot in the Western Conference standings, 14 games behind the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors’ front office is trying to find ways to bring a superstar to compliment Curry and boost the team’s chances of making the playoffs.
At the same time, Curry has been on-record saying that he doesn’t want the team to make what he called a ‘desperate’ move that would ‘deplete the future’ of the franchise. But sources indicate the team is still working on a trade anyway.
Sources tell DailyMail.com that the Warriors could be lining up for a massive move to acquire either Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James or wantaway Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler – despite Curry’s protestations.
‘Though Steph is saying he doesn’t want his team to do anything drastic, that is exactly the opposite of what is happening behind the scenes,’ the source says.
‘The Warriors brass wants to make a splash and is having discussions with the Lakers and the Heat to potentially obtain LeBron James and or Jimmy Butler before the trade deadline.
While a move of this magnitude may be in the hearts of the Warriors front office, sources say that the logistics of pulling off such a move could make it harder than expected.
‘For that to happen, so many things have to fall into place, especially since LeBron and Jimmy have no-trade clauses in their contracts,’ a source told DailyMail.com ‘And both the Lakers and the Heat would want a multitude of future draft picks and expiring contracts.
‘Golden State wants to win now and is highly considering giving up their future for now. If they don’t make a deal before February, they won’t make a deal but Golden State is on the phone with teams to get a superstar to join Steph so he has a chance to win another championship.’
There may also be a money issue that prevents this from happening. According to Basketball Reference, Golden State is roughly $36million over the NBA’s salary cap. Adding additional contracts would send that number much higher.
Curry’s salary of about $55.7million takes up roughly 39.7 percent of the Warriors’ cap space at the moment.
The Warriors will see four players become unrestricted free agents over the summer (Dennis Schroder, Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney, and Lindy Waters III) with Jonathan Kuminga, Quinten Post, and Pat Spencer becoming restricted free agents.
Golden State still has all of their first round picks through 2031 – which may be used as important pieces if a trade is to be made.
As of now, the Warriors are half a game out of the final playoff spot just about halfway through the NBA season.
Curry is averaging 22.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. His points total has been on a steady decline since the 2022-23 season.
The same can be said for both James and Butler. James’ PPG has gone from 28.9 in 22-23 to 23.7 this season. Butler’s has dropped from 22.9 to 17.6 in the same span.