Steve Kerr Rules Out Curry Trade as Warriors Falter

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Jan. 9, 2025. Nic Antaya/Getty Images

The 2024-25 NBA season started off with the Golden State Warriors looking like one of the best teams in the league and a true title contender. They won seven of their first eight games and sat at 12-3 after 15 games, with the best record in the Western Conference at that point. However, it’s been a freefall since then, and they can’t blame a Draymond Green suspension for the downturn.

Golden State has gone 7-17 since then and entered play on Wednesday not only outside of the playoff picture but also outside of the play-in tournament. The Warriors rank 12th in the Western Conference standings, and this is often the case with teams struggling like this; they are viewed more as sellers than buyers with the approaching NBA trade deadline. With the inconsistencies of young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski, Golden State’s biggest trade chip is its biggest star: Stephen Curry.

Would the Warriors ever consider trading the greatest player in franchise history? Or, would Curry ever reach the point where he pulls a Jimmy Butler and says, “I want out”? Steve Kerr addressed those possibilities in a Tuesday interview on 95.7 The Game.

“No way. No way. No way,” Kerr said emphatically when the radio host floated the idea of if the Warriors should trade Curry. The coach was then asked about the alternative of if Curry would ever ask the Warriors to trade him.

“I don’t think so. I just think Steph loves the Warriors. He loves the idea of being a Warrior for life. I think that’s so meaningful for him. That’s what makes him unique and different. That’s why he’s not asking the organization to trade everything to go get him help,” Kerr said.

“Steph is so special in so many different ways. His self-awareness is just incredible. It’s so meaningful for him to be a Warrior. I don’t think our fans have to ever worry about that.”

Kerr referenced that Curry asked the Warriors to not mortgage their future in order to bring in players that could help the team now, and that’s regarding Curry’s comments after a Monday loss to the then-8-30 Toronto Raptors.

Curry stressed that Golden State shouldn’t be “desperate” in making a move at the risk of giving up assets that could help the team in the future. It was a unique viewpoint from an NBA star, as most often nudge their teams to bring in outside help with a win-now mentality, with the future not on their radars.

The two-time regular-season MVP turns 37 in March, but the Warriors’ lack of success isn’t because Curry is showing his age. He’s averaging 22.7 points, leads the NBA with 93.5 percent from the free throw line, and ranks seventh with 41 percent from deep. His averages for rebounds (5.1), assists (6.1), steals (1.2), and blocks (0.5) are all up from last year’s averages.

While the Warriors rank in the top eight in defensive rating, they sit just 21^st in offensive rating, as Curry isn’t getting much help on that end of the court. Even with arguably the greatest shooter in NBA history, the Warriors rank 25^th in field goal percentage and dead last in free throw percentage. A lack of continuity within the starting lineup could be attributed to that as the constant shuffling of lineups prevents players from getting comfortable in roles. The Warriors have used 22 different starting lineups through their first 39 games and have used the same lineup more than three games in a row just once all season.

Even with a struggling team, Kerr knows that the Bay Area fans still get a treat in watching the Warriors play, particularly when Curry is on the court. In fact, Kerr didn’t even label him a player or an athlete as he used more artistic descriptions when illustrating what it’s like to watch Curry play.

“This guy is one of the greatest artists of all time,” Kerr said of Curry. “He’s just an incredible performer. We’re all lucky to watch him play. Hopefully, that’s something that goes on for another few years. It sure looks like it. But, in the meantime, it’s a much tougher spot to be in organizationally than it was even the last couple of years. And I think everybody recognizes that.”

In his last game, Curry passed Allen Iverson for 28^th place in all-time career points, and he has another milestone on his radar. He’s less than 700 points from reaching the 25,000-point threshold, which 25 other players in the history of the league have done so. Even more meaningful, Curry could reach that mark with all of the points coming in a Golden State Warriors uniform, and that’s just something six other NBA players, all-time, can boast in scoring 25,000 career points and never playing for more than one team.