Mike Dunleavy’s comments on Tuesday wandered into an unusually delicate place for the Warriors: what happens if Stephen Curry ever asks out.
The part most people will remember is Dunleavy’s belief that Curry is likely to stay put. He said he’s “pretty confident Steph will finish his career” with Golden State.
But Dunleavy didn’t stop there. He also addressed the possibility of a trade demand, saying, "But, you know, ultimately, it's his call, his decision, whether that's allowing his contract to run out and move on, or, you know, look, if he comes to us and wants to be moved, you know, Joe and I will talk through it," Dunleavy said. "We wouldn't love it, but he's earned the right."
That answer raised eyebrows. Yahoo Sports writer Kevin O'Connor noted the odd direction of the exchange, writing on X, "It definitely is strange that Mike Dunleavy took this answer in the direction of possible trade demands by Stephen Curry. Almost like the Warriors want it to happen."
NBA writer Josh Eberley went even further, suggesting the Warriors would prefer Curry to ask out. "Warriors don’t want to build a team around Steph, they want a great team after Steph, the best way to make that happen is to get assets for Steph," Eberley wrote on X. "So contrary to a lot of the reporting, I’d argue that franchise wants him to ask out."
That argument makes sense on one level, because a Curry trade would bring back assets the Warriors could use to shape whatever comes next. But there’s another side to it: Curry’s presence still drives the franchise’s business in a huge way. His popularity matters to ticket sales and other revenue streams, and from that angle, Joe Lacob has every reason to want him around for as long as possible.
So the Warriors are stuck balancing three basic paths: trade future draft capital to give Curry a shot at a fifth title, trade Curry for future draft capital and reset, or keep things largely the same and keep benefiting from Curry now while protecting the future.
For now, the guess is Lacob and Dunleavy are fine living in that middle ground. They’d love a deal to materialize that helps Curry contend again, but they may also be willing to let the situation drift until Curry decides he’s had enough and forces the issue himself.
Publicly, Dunleavy keeps saying the Warriors are trying to build a better team around Curry. But eventually, that kind of talk has to be backed up by action.
And if pressure ever comes, it will have to come from Curry himself - whether that means not signing an extension or making a trade demand.
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