Anyone below the age of 30 likely has no clue who Dell Curry was when he suited up for the Charlotte Hornets in the 1990’s and was knocking down over 40 percent from the 3-point line in an era where the 3-point shot was rare unless you grew up watching John Paxson or Chris Mullin in the early 90’s who were both absolute flamethrowers. Dell Curry just so happened to create arguably the best 3-point shooter in NBA history in Stephen Curry and yes I said arguably because I would still put my money on Ray Allen or Larry Bird in a 3-point shootout over Stephen Curry but there is no denying Stephen Curry would hold his own against Ray Allen and Larry Bird if need be. So the motivation behind Stephen Curry ever leaving the Warriors for the Hornets would be to honor his father by donning the number 30 which his father wore in his 5-year tenure in Charlotte so in a way we should be asking is if Stephen Curry wants a LeBron James like ending where honor for a relative is concerned, or does he want to be remembered as a Kobe Bryant,Tim Duncan,or Magic Johnson 3 first ballot hall-of-famers whom gave their all to one franchise and will always be remembered for that one and only franchise? It will all depend on how much longer the Warriors’s championship window remains open.
Stephen Curry has nothing left to prove any longer as a superstar at the NBA level, he has won back to back MVP trophies,multiple titles,has broken practically every 3-point record, and most importantly proved he can win without Kevin Durant. As a LeBron James fan I just couldn’t give him his flowers for the 2015 championship not because he failed to win the Finals MVP but more so because he had everything in his favor with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love not being available for the Cavaliers but hey injuries are a part of the game right? I’m sure Lakers fans were bummed out when Magic Johnson went down in the 1989 NBA Finals versus the Detroit Pistons just like there are many who wouldn’t give Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons their due because the Lakers were missing their best player that series. Back to Stephen Curry who at this point in his his illustrious career is at worst a top 15 player all-time and could be argued is top 10 at the very moment right behind the likes of a Tim Duncan,Shaquille O’Neal,Kobe Bryant, or Larry Bird. Another title over the next 2 seasons certainly stamps him as a top 10 player all-time without question or discussion and maybe even top 5 but what if fails to win over the next 2 seasons? Would the narrative change about him retiring a Golden State Warrior?
It’s tough to look 2-3 seasons down the line and predict where the Charlotte Hornets will be because we just don’t know what Michael Jordan is trying to build over there. Is LaMelo Ball their guy? Will Miles Bridges re-sign? Beyond those 2 what do the Hornets really have? James Bouknight,Nick Richards, and Mark Williams? No disrespect to those 3 who could certainly become impact role players on a possible championship team down the line but is there any star potential between those 3? Wouldn’t bank on it, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are very intriguing and should certainly both be pillars in what Charlotte continues to build but with Miles Bridges receiving interest from several NBA teams could we even be sure LaMelo Ball will be around long-term if Miles Bridges foregoes re-signing with Charlotte? It would be hard to convince him to stay when the Lakers could come calling once LeBron James retires, so what does all this mean for Stephen Curry? Well would the Charlotte Hornets consider playing both LaMelo Ball and Stephen Curry in the same back-court or assuming LaMelo Ball signs elsewhere what will Stephen Curry have around him at that time? Will him signing with the Charlotte Hornets be about uplifting yet another franchise from the doldrums much like he did with the Golden State Warriors or will it be a farewell tour?
With Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole both committing long-term with the Golden State Warriors on 4-year deals I guess that would serve as some assurance that Stephen Curry could be in it for the long-run with Golden State but there is no word on how the organization will handle Klay Thompson and Draymmond Green’s looming extensions and even though both don’t quite look as dynamic as they once did in the 2010’s you can’t take away championship pedigree which Klay Thompson and Draymmond Green have ingrained in their veins and they proved in the 2022 NBA Playoffs that when all the chips are on the line they step up. So the question is how will Stephen Curry feel about the Warriors when the writing is on the wall that they just aren’t title contenders any longer? Will Stephen Curry stick around and strengthen his legacy as a Golden State Warrior even if they aren’t competing for a championship much like Dwyane Wade did in Miami and Kobe Bryant did in Los Angeles? I don’t know the man personally but when curiosity about what it would be like playing for the hometown you grew up in lingers shooting 3’s as a Charlotte Hornet while wearing the same jersey number as your father you can’t help but wonder whether Stephen Curry would make such a bold move. All that said I’d be in utter shock if he ever left Golden State, he seems to enjoy stability you can see it in the consistency of his long-time marriage with Ayesha Curry so unless the Charlotte Hornets make themselves a desirable situation Stephen Curry will retire in The Bay.
D-NBA 