The Golden State Warriors came into the offseason hoping to find something that could soften the blow of a quiet summer. Even a nostalgic move, like bringing back Klay Thompson, might have given the fan base a little comfort.
That didn’t happen. Thompson is now headed to the Miami Heat after the Dallas Mavericks agreed to buy out his contract, and with that, the Warriors are left with fewer ways to improve and even fewer reasons to believe a big swing is coming. The team does not appear eager to spend its future draft picks, and the pool of available signings doesn’t look like it offers much help.
So if Golden State is going to focus on one thing, it should be keeping Stephen Curry happy.
Curry is not the type to turn the franchise upside down if things go sideways, but he remains the center of everything the Warriors do. And if the organization doesn’t have a real path to contention right now, then making sure Curry still wants to be there has to matter.
That’s where Seth Curry comes in.
The Warriors should bring back Steph Curry’s brother for next season, if only to give their star a little more reason to smile. Seth barely played last season because of injury, but when he was on the court, he looked solid. The bigger question is availability, especially at this point in his career.
Even so, if he can suit up for roughly half of Golden State’s games and provide steady three-point shooting off the bench, that would be useful enough on its own. Add in the fact that he’d be sharing the locker room and bench with his brother for another year, and the appeal becomes pretty obvious.
There’s even a loose comparison here to the Lakers keeping Bronny James around to keep LeBron James content. Steph Curry obviously isn’t going to demand the same treatment, but the idea is similar: keep the franchise player comfortable, keep the environment light, and avoid giving him another reason to feel let down.
After all, even when Steph missed time last season, he still got to sit beside Seth on the bench for many of those games. If Seth isn’t back, who does he watch with next season?
Fans might roll their eyes at the idea, but the Warriors might as well lean into it. Seth Curry could still help on the floor, and he’d help in another way too: by keeping Steph Curry happy, which is about as important as anything Golden State has left.
In Other News...
Warriors Could Lose Another Offseason Target To Miami
Klay Thompsons move to Dallas left the Warriors with two open roster spots, and it has also sharpened the focus on the kind of veteran help they still need to add this offseason. One name sitting in the middle of that search is Gabe Vincent, who remains unsigned while Golden State and Miami both keep their eyes on the same guard as they work through the final stages of roster building.
Miami would have a familiar path to bringing Vincent back into the fold after his four seasons there and his role in the Heats 2023 Finals run. For the Warriors, the concern is simple: a target they can use is still on the board, but the same team that developed him once before has every reason to try to take him off it first. [Read more 🡒]
Klay Thompson Just Closed Another Painful Warriors Chapter
Klay Thompsons departure from the Warriors is no longer a lingering what-if. The former Golden State guard has now landed with the Miami Heat, giving the veteran sharpshooter a new chapter after one of the most defining runs in franchise history. For Warriors fans, it is another reminder that the core built around Thompson has fully shifted into a different era.
Miami moved quickly to make the relationship official once Thompson cleared waivers, and Heat president Pat Riley made clear how he views the fit. Riley pointed to Thompson as a four-time NBA champion and an all-around player who can help on both ends of the floor, a rsum that fits a team still chasing its first title since 2013. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Add Summer League Standout With A Real Roster Battle Ahead
Deivon Smith is headed back into the Warriors orbit, with his agent reporting that he is signing with Golden State and giving the team another guard to evaluate as camp approaches. Smith already has a connection to the organization from his time with the Santa Cruz Warriors, and his latest run in summer league only added to the case that he belongs on the radar. For a Warriors group that likes to keep competitive pressure on the back end of the roster, it is another name worth watching as preseason decisions start to take shape.
Smiths path is not as simple as showing up and claiming a spot, though. The real question is whether he can turn a strong summer into an argument for one of the teams two-way openings, and those chances can shift quickly depending on how Golden State sorts out other young guards such as LJ Cryer. There is a roster battle building here, and Smith is stepping into it at the right time, with enough familiarity and recent production to make the next few weeks matter. [Read more 🡒]