“The Golden State Warriors are trading Stephen Curry.”
It's hard to fathom a headline announcing a blockbuster deal that would send the Warriors franchise superstar out of the Bay Area. However, Golden State apparently tried to trade Curry not once, not even twice, but actually three times.
You can't really blame the Warriors for entertaining the idea, though. This is mainly because of Curry's injury struggles early in his career and Golden State's desire to build a championship team after decades of mediocrity. Here are three times the Warriors nearly traded Stephen Curry.
Stephen Curry to the Phoenix Suns
Ironically, the first man who tried to pry away Stephen Curry from Golden State is Steve Kerr. Yes, the man who coached Curry to three NBA championships over the last five years. Kerr was the general manager of the Phoenix Suns at the time. He envisioned Curry to eventually take the reigns in Phoenix as Steve Nash aged.
On draft day, Kerr offered the 14th pick, who eventually became Earl Clark, and Amare Stoudemire for the Davidson standout. Curry's future coach said the deal was very close to happening, but obviously, the Warriors chose to keep their prized 7th overall pick.
Suns fans certainly hope that this deal would have pushed through. Clark only played in Phoenix until the next season and Stoudemire eventually left the team via free agency the following summer.
Imagine a rookie Stephen Curry in Phoenix, though, playing alongside and picking the brain of Steve Nash every single day. Curry would have learned so much from the two-time league MVP early on in his career. Nonetheless, the two eventually crossed paths when Nash became a consultant in Golden State.
Curry to the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans)
Reports of this blockbuster deal recently just came up. Golden State was aggressively trying to shop their oft-injured star. Curry had been struggling with ankle issues early in his career. After spraining his ankle multiple times in his sophomore campaign, he underwent surgery in the summer of 2011.
Apparently, prior to the 2011-12 season, the Warriors nearly had a deal in place that would have sent them Chris Paul, who, at the time, was considered the best point guard in the league. In return, however, Golden State would have given up Curry, Ekpe Udoh, and Klay Thompson.
In the end, however, Golden State backed out of the deal as Paul reportedly didn't commit to sign long term with the Dubs. They felt that giving up a young sharpshooting backcourt tandem for a rental of the league's best PG at the time wasn't worth it.
@clutchstories The Warriors Tried To Trade Steph 3 Times 😳 @leslieeemichelle #curry #stephcurry #stephencurry #warriors #clutchpoints #nba #DidYouKnow #fyp
Insane, right? The Splash Brothers for CP3. Imagine if the Warriors pulled this one off. What would be the butterfly effect around the NBA? Would Steph and Klay have turned New Orleans into the NBA's greatest show, as they eventually did with the Warriors? Would they have even found the same success with the Pelicans? As for the Warriors, would CP3 ever lead them to the heights that Curry and Thompson eventually took them? Certainly, the butterfly effects of this deal coming into fruition would have been cosmic.
Paul himself confirmed that the deal almost happened. The Warriors are certainly grateful that it didn't.
Stephen Curry trade to the Bucks
Curry's injury woes continued in the lockout shortened 2011-12 season, where he missed 40 games due to ankle and foot injuries. At this time, many considered Curry injury-prone and doubted if he could ever stay healthy. Golden State was still pursuing deals for Curry.
The Warriors strongly considered trading the 6-foot-3 point guard in 2012 to the Milwaukee Bucks. At the time, the Warriors were mulling between Curry and Monta Ellis to carry the banner as face of the franchise. The front office had every right to think twice about this decision as Ellis became a 25-point scorer at that point and was an All-Star caliber guard. Curry, meanwhile, struggled to stay on the court because of his ankle issues.
In the end, Golden State chose to trade Ellis in exchange for Andrew Bogut in March 2012. Despite the injury risks, the Warriors officially handed Curry the keys to the franchise.
Bogut eventually became a key contributor in Golden State's rise to the top. He anchored their defense and played a vital role in the Warriors offense due to his great passing ability at the center position. Curry, meanwhile, got over his injury riddled 2011-12 campaign and broke out into a star in the 2012-13 season. He led Golden State to their first playoff appearance since 2007.
Of course, Stephen Curry only continued his meteoric rise to the top from that point on. The Warriors superstar took, not just Golden State, but the entire game of basketball, to new heights, all while winning back-to-back league MVP's in 2015 and 2016 and bringing the Bay Area three NBA championships in five years.
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