Stephen Curry Bluntly Explains Why Warriors Have Struggled to Trade for Star Players

Curry doesn't think other NBA teams are eager to trade with the Warriors.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, guard Stephen Curry and forward Draymond Green before a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, guard Stephen Curry and forward Draymond Green before a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
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The Golden State Warriors are set to begin their first campaign without Klay Thompson since he was drafted by the organization in 2011. Despite doing their due diligence to find another big-name player and help ease the loss of their longtime sharpshooter, the Warriors have ultimately fallen flat in their pursuit.

Stephen Curry seems to think he knows why they've been unable to land a star player in trades this offseason.

"Let's keep it real," Curry said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "Most teams are probably not going to want to help us."

Curry is well aware that most teams around the league are not trying to help elevate Golden State back to its former status as title contenders. Having dominated for much of the past decade, the Warriors reign appears to be at its end, though landing another star to pair with Curry and Draymond Green could certainly put them back into the championship conversation.

Slater reported that the Warriors explored trading for Karl-Anthony Towns during the offseason, though those talks didn't yield much success. Towns was ultimately dealt to the New York Knicks in a blockbuster trade that saw Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle (among other pieces) head to Minnesota. Golden State was also foiled in its pursuit of Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and Markkanen re-upped with the Utah Jazz.

Finding another top-tier talent to add to the mix hasn't been easy for the Warriors, who wound up acquiring Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton during the offseason. Those pieces will certainly help improve the team, though perhaps not vault them back into the echelon of championship contenders.


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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.