The Warriors may be staring at the same question from two very different angles: basketball and business. On the court, Stephen Curry is 38 and the logic of a rebuild is easy enough to see.
In a trade, he would still fetch a serious return right now - players, first-round picks, the whole package. Wait too long, though, and that value could shrink fast if his play drops off this season.
But that’s not the real reason Curry isn’t going anywhere.
The bigger issue is what happens when he’s no longer the face of the franchise. Curry drives everything around the Warriors’ operation - tickets, concessions, parking, sponsorships, regional TV money and apparel sales. His presence keeps the machine humming in a way no one else on the roster can match.
Golden State has insulated itself some by using personal seat licenses. Season ticket holders paid a one-time fee that locked in their seat license for 30 years, and that money is already accounted for.
But that doesn’t change the bigger picture: once Curry is gone, demand for tickets figures to fall hard. Joe Lacob would likely have to slash prices just to fill the building, and even that might not be enough to keep Chase Center packed the way it is now.
That’s the risk that hangs over everything. The Warriors aren’t just losing a star when Curry leaves or retires; they’re staring at a major revenue drop. And because they’re the most valuable franchise in the NBA, they have more ground to lose than anybody else.
That’s why the franchise is thinking beyond the next season. As long as Curry is selling out Chase Center, he’s staying in Golden State.
Some fans are furious that Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. haven’t pushed more of their future first-round picks into trades that could help Curry win now. Their argument is simple: Curry is the reason the team is worth what it is, so the organization owes him that kind of urgency.
There’s truth to that. But Lacob’s priorities are obvious too.
If the Warriors are going to replace Curry’s gravity, they need someone who can bring that kind of pull with him. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the cleanest example. A player like that would still sell out Chase Center after Curry is gone and soften the revenue hit in a way almost nobody else could.
The Warriors have been connected to a lot of stars, but the belief here is that they’ve been lowballing most of those offers because those players simply wouldn’t sell out Chase Center on their own. The one exception that sounds believable is the report that Golden State made a massive offer for Antetokounmpo, who would solve the post-Curry problem in one move.
If they can’t land that kind of marketable star, then the other path is to draft one. That helps explain why the Warriors seem reluctant to spend a first-round pick on a modest upgrade, even one that might help Curry right away. They want to keep those picks either for a swing at a superstar trade or for as many chances as possible to draft the next one.
Curry could force the issue if he ever decided to push for a trade and pressure the team into spending future assets on immediate help. That would leave Lacob in a tough spot, balancing the present against what comes next.
But that scenario still feels unlikely. Curry has never publicly gone that route, and there’s nothing to suggest he’s about to start now.
In Other News...
Draymond Green Just Sent A Blunt Message About His Warriors Future
Draymond Greens offseason maneuvering once again gave the Warriors some flexibility, even as it underscored how carefully he is managing his own future. He declined his $27.7 million player option to help Golden State chase free agents, then came back on a one-year deal at the same number, a setup that kept the teams options open while preserving his place in the roster plans for now.
Green also passed on a no-trade clause and settled for a 15 percent trade kicker, a choice that says plenty about how he views his standing. On his podcast, he made clear he can live with the idea of a move if the Warriors no longer want him, a blunt stance that leaves his long-term future hanging over a team still trying to sort out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Fans Wont Enjoy Seeing This Playoff Villain In Denver
Lonnie Walker IV is back in the NBA, and his return lands in a place Warriors fans know well. The Denver Nuggets signed Walker to a one-year, $3.3 million contract after his stint overseas with Maccabi Tel Aviv, giving them another experienced perimeter option as they reshuffle the back end of the roster.
For Golden State, the name still carries a little extra sting because of what Walker did against the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs, when he made himself hard to forget in a rivalry series that had plenty of noise around it already. Denver is expecting him to work into a bench role after losing Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency, but for anyone in the Bay Area, this is the kind of add that will at least bring back a few uncomfortable memories. [Read more 🡒]
Draymond Green Now Faces Real Pressure To Earn This Warriors Deal
Draymond Green remains one of the most important variables in Golden States plans, even as the conversation around his game has shifted. The Warriors still value what he brings on the defensive end and the voice he provides in the locker room, but there is no getting around the fact that his offensive impact has slipped and his overall production is no longer as steady as it once was.
That is why the pressure around his next stretch with the team feels different now. Golden State is counting on Green to keep anchoring the defense and providing the kind of veteran presence that has long made him essential, even as the margin for error around the roster keeps shrinking. How much of that value he can still deliver will go a long way toward determining whether this remains a smart bet for the Warriors. [Read more 🡒]