Following the NBA's historic punishment of the LA Clippers, the Kawhi Leonard trade should inspire the Golden State Warriors to follow their lead. The Warriors' obviousness shouldn't circumvent the salary cap as the Clippers did, but they should take a page out of their playbook and consider trading star Steph Curry.
Curry can become a free agent after next season, and Golden State's unimpressive offseason could push him out the door. As a result, the Warriors should be open to trading Curry sooner rather than later in hopes of getting top dollar for their star.
ESPN recently went to the 19th-best feature cast. Basically, they picked 18 teams ahead of them with brighter futures over the next three years. Even then, they were being generous. That likely factored into Curry finishing his career with Golden State.
The Warriors aren't going to win a championship with Steph Curry
If Curry were to demand a trade, the Warriors could actually be better off long-term. Golden State isn't going to win a championship in the next three years, and they're actually trending in the wrong direction.
They have yet to get younger, with several key rotation players being over age 35. Worse yet, Jimmy Butler may miss the first few months of next season, while Mooses Moody will miss all of next year.
Even if they were fully healthy, they might compete for the play-in tournament, but with them not at full strength, forget about it. The West is too deep. Last season, the Utah Jazz were among the worst teams in the conference, but they could easily leapfrog the Warriors and make the playoffs.
The same could be said for the Portland Trail Blazers, who finished ahead of Golden State last season and have only gotten better, unlike the Dubs. All of that is to say, the Clippers had the right idea of trading Kawhi before it was too late.
The Warriors must trade Steph Curry before it's too late
Even though they had five picks confiscated by the NBA, they got two firsts and an all-star in Brandon Ingram in a deal for Kawhi, who is 35 years old. That's great return value, even despite the baggage he comes with.
If the Warriors put Curry on the trade block, he could likely fetch more. They could possibly get three first-round picks and a solid prospect. That would be a great return for a 38-year-old.
Granted, Curry is a franchise icon and an NBA legend, but he is 38 years old nonetheless. Of course, given how seemingly passive Golden State has been this offseason, I wouldn't expect them to be proactive and move Curry now.
Instead, I could see them playing out the year, missing the playoffs again, and realize too late they should have traded him. Therefore, the Warriors must follow the Clippers' lead and trade Curry before it's too late.
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