Things aren’t looking great for Steph Curry.
The Warriors went all in on LeBron James. But the 41-year-old megastar chose Philadelphia, where he believes he has his best shot at winning his fifth ring.
The Warriors’ Steph Curry (right) made a pitch for LeBron James on “Good Morning America,” but it didn’t sway The King.
That means the Warriors are essentially running back their roster from last season, with the addition of their No. 11 draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg.
In other words, this is going to be a wasted season for Curry, which is a darned shame.
The Warriors pulled all the stops to lure James onto their roster.
Steph Curry made a pitch for him on “Good Morning America.” Draymond Green declined his $27.7 million player option for the 2026-2027 season to create more money for James.
The one thing the franchise wasn’t willing to do was mortgage its future for Wizards big man Anthony Davis, whom James reportedly wanted on the team. Davis would’ve cost them Jimmy Butler, along with multiple first-round picks and first-round pick swaps.
If securing Davis would’ve meant securing James, the Warriors made a mistake by not partially emptying their treasure chest. Yes, he’s often injured. Yes, he’s 33 years old.
But they should’ve pulled the trigger. They owed it to Curry to not waste a season in which he’s about to turn 39 years old. Curry, Green, James and Davis could’ve given teams fits in the playoffs if they were healthy.
But it’s unclear whether James would’ve definitely gone to the Warriors if they had gotten Davis. We don’t know the details of those conversations. Or if any guarantees were given.
What we do know is the Warriors aren’t in a great position now.
Butler (torn right ACL) and Moses Moody (torn left patellar tendon) will miss the start of the season.
There aren’t any franchise-bending moves for them left to make. They’re ultimately standing pat. They didn’t make any big trades.
They’re expected to re-sign Green, who was willing to sacrifice money out of his pocket to try to transform a team that won four championships in eight years from 2015-2022 into winners once again.
But who else is left for them to go after?
Gary Payton II, a spark plug who’s a good asset but isn’t going to catapult them into the next sphere by any means? Mario Hezonja, who has recently played in Europe?
Neither of those guys is going to move the needle.
Last season, the Warriors didn’t even make it out of the play-in tournament.
It’s hard to expect much will change for them this time around, especially in the very crowded Western Conference with the Thunder and Spurs vying to be atop the league.
The Warriors will make some moves around the margins.
Curry hopes to add another NBA title before he calls it a career. Getty Images
But their only hope for a competitive season is if Butler returns quickly and has the type of impact he did when he joined the team in February 2025, and they went 23-7 the remainder of the season. (There wasn’t proof in concept last season. Before Butler suffered the injury in January, the Warriors were inconsistent at best.)
They need to hope Kristaps Porzingis can stay healthy. After acquiring him last February, he only played 15 games because of various health reasons.
They need to hope Lendeborg is able to make an immediate impact as a jack of all trades. He impressed during the Las Vegas Summer League by averaging 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and four assists while winning the MVP Award, but is the 23-year-old ready to be a difference-maker on a veteran team?
All of those things need to perfectly coalesce or else the greatest shooter of all time and a Hall of Fame defender are going to languish amid basketball mediocrity yet again.
It’s too bad James didn’t choose the Warriors. They would’ve been the most fun show in town.
It was thrilling to imagine James and Curry sharing a court after their gold medal-winning Olympic run together, in which James was named MVP and Curry played hero in the final games.
But alas, that was nothing but a tease. A figment of our imagination. An unrealized fantasy.
Curry is going to get no such help in the twilight of his career.
Once again, he’s playing against a stacked deck. The Warriors dropped the ball. They didn’t give their franchise hero a chance to soar in his final act.
It’s too bad.
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