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This story involves Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard. NBA fans, are you ready to have your world crumble around you? Prepare your tissues:
That is correct, basketball fans. The best shooting backcourt of all time had the potential to be even better. Damn you, Portland.
More than that, though, this past All-Star Weekend gave us all a chance to see just how wrong we were to put Stephen Curry in the ‘pure villain' category. Sure, he and Lebron were and are rivals, but look at how well they got along on the court! Sure, everyone is trying to push the ‘usurper' title onto Dame for taking Steph's clutch three pointer throne since the latter's season-long injury, but the two seem to get alone just dandy in real life, if their on-court chemistry in an ultimately meaningless game is anything to go by.
Now, just like with Lebron, there is probably no chance that Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard would ever get the chance to play on an actual team together for a whole season, so we won't try and stoke a fire that isn't there.
Sike. Here are two trade options that could get Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard together in real life:
Trade 1:
Warriors receive: Damian Lillard, Harry Giles
Blazers receive: Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre , Jr., GSW 2023 1st Rd Pick
Some form of this would, weirdly enough, make sense for both sides. After all, let's face it, both teams are treading water, even with Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard gracing their respective rosters. The Blazers wouldn't want to take a risk on Klay Thompson just to stay where they are.
Instead, both teams shore up in exactly the way that they need: Steph Curry finally gets a backcourt mate that keeps up with him, at least until Klay gets back, and the lethality of both Curry and Thompson gets fully unleashed with a third guard that can take primary ballhandling duties off their hands, freeing them up to rain hellfire on opponents. The motion offense that Steve Kerr loves would essentially go into overdrive, since two of his three star guards don't necessarily need the basketball in order to thrive, and he gets to keep Draymond as a secondary playmaker inside the paint.
Move aside, Run-TMC Warriors. This would be the greatest perimeter trio in Golden State history. Think about how many pizzas you'll have to shell out with these three raining fire from outside.
On Portland's side, they get a chance to reset: they make an arguably positive move defensively, with Kelly Oubre Jr. running wild like a free safety in the backcourt, and two chances at a high-level backcourt best friend for CJ McCollum, both of whom are measurably younger with Dame, and who have shown flashes of brilliance in spurts. Not to mention that Portland could get an additional shot as soon as 2023, if Curry's ankles don't hold up, Dame burns out, Draymond continues to age like milk, and Thompson never returns to who he was (all valid concerns).
Throw in Harry Giles as a forgotten lottery-level talent with intriguing post-recovery upside, and you have a deal that has a surprisingly non-zero chance of happening. Let's bring Oakland's finest home. It's Dame Time in The Bay.
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Trade 2:
Warriors receive: CJ McCollum, Zach Collins, Jusuf Nurkic, POR 2022 1st Rd Pick, POR 2025 1st Rd Pick
Portland receives: Stephen Curry, James Wiseman
Now this is a blockbuster, and still gives both teams exactly what they need as they walk away from the table.
Golden State gets both a present and a future, while shoring up a desperate need in the middle. And in CJ McCollum, they don't necessarily lose too much of Stephen Curry's functional role in the offense. McCollum provides another off-ball microwave to pair with Klay Thompson, giving Oubre and Wiggins ample chances to prove their mettle as primary ballhandlers.
Jusuf Nurkic gives them a brick wall alternative to Draymond Green as his athleticism continues to decline on defense, with the same skill and touch around the glass that defines European players. Zach Collins makes an intriguing frontcourt mate for Nurkic with absurd potential to grow into a quality offensive player, giving Golden State a mobile twin towers-esque set up that instantly makes them one of the longest teams in the league, complementing Stephen Curry and his perimeter brilliance.
And if it all fails, hey, the Warriors get themselves a four-year window to wait for the Blazers to fall apart so they can grab a prime pick in the 2022 and 2025 drafts.
As for the Blazers, they get the best shooter of all time. They get CJ McCollum with the Unlimited Range badge on HoF level and with better handles and playmaking ability. All the better to spell Dame and so extend his career. Stephen Curry could tell you that in the person of James Wiseman, the Blazers also get some defense, and a possibly generational talent in the middle. Wiseman's floor as a top tier rim runner and rim protector is something the Blazers are definitely in the market for, and this still gives Enes Kanter a lot of room to work offensively and on the boards, if they want.
Long story short: if you take anything away from this past weekend, take this: Stephen Curry's play, evident joy, intelligence, and talent is simply infectious. He is the whipped cream of NBA superstardom: light, airy, low in calories, and sweet, with the potential to make literally any dessert setup/team better.
So let's take him, and make some ridiculously crazy and delicious sundaes with him before he runs out.
