Boasting four rings and the best single-season record in NBA history, the Steph Curry era in Golden State was one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
It was.
Golden State's championship window isn't closing - it's fully closed. If Curry wants to move on and try his luck ring number five, he must look elsewhere. The question then becomes the following: is his front office willing to work with him?
While the Warriors aren't actively seeking out trades for Curry at the moment, the ball may be rolling already - their GM released a comment recently stating he would "talk it through" with ownership in the event that Steph ultimately requested a trade.
With Golden State making the possibility of a Curry trade realer and realer by the day, the Hawks could swoop in with a pitch too difficult to refuse in The Bay Area.
Curry's history in Golden State shouldn't condemn his future
The greatest argument for remaining in Golden State for the great Steph Curry is simple: loyalty.
Very few superstars have ever remained with one franchise throughout their entire career, after bringing multiple championships to their organization. Even the great Michael Jordan played for the Wizards after his return from retirement, after all.
Curry has the opportunity to do what very few have done before - retire with the same organization he played many, many seasons with, never having requested a trade or given up on the same coaches, front office members, and teammates that believed in him since his own draft night.
That being said, loyalty shouldn't stop Steph from chasing ring number five, and the Hawks have a sell that very few teams can match.
Atlanta's pitch to Steph Curry is painfully obvious
The top two teams rumored to be in the mix in the event of a Curry trade this season are two tried and true contenders: the Boston Celtics, and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Celtics are a wild card - having lost Jaylen Brown this summer, not only is their future in jeopardy, but so is their regular season next year - would Curry really jeopardize his chance to be a lifetime Warrior for a run with a hobbled Celtics squad (especially having clashed with them in the NBA Finals in 2022)? I think not.
The Spurs are bit more difficult to poke holes through - not only has San Antonio yet to win a ring in the Wemby era, but they're also just as elite on the perimeter on defense as Atlanta is - I'd argue no other team in the league (including OKC after Dort's departure) is as elite at point-of-attack defense as Atlanta or San Antonio.
However, the Spurs are in the West - traditionally, GMs are more averse to trading their franchise superstar away in-conference.
Atlanta can offer Curry the same defensive reliability that San Antonio can, without the in-conference challenges that would be present in any deal with the Spurs. Should Curry approach his front office with a trade request, don't be surprised if Atlanta suddenly finds themselves amongst the top suitors - if not at the very peak.
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