For Steph Curry, I can think of three options:

#1 Stay with the Warriors and they get a star player like Kawhi Leonard in a trade

#2: Ask for a trade to the Lakers to join LeBron James in his title hunt and end his career.

#3 Ask for a trade to the Hornets to return to the city he grew up in and play for the team his father played for in the Hornets.

This article examines option number 3. It is not as far-fetched as it may seem.

POTENTIAL ACTION:

Hornets receive: G Steph Curry

Warriors receive: G LaMelo Ball, G Tre Mann, first-round picks for 2025 and 2027

You disagree with this article? TWEET me and we’ll discuss it!

Want more NBA content? Click these links!

Which NBA players have the HIGHEST WEALTH | The Wright Way Network (twsn.net)

This player will change the landscape of the NBA | The Wright Way Network (twsn.net)

LaMelo Ball is a potential franchise-changing player, with potential being the key word. What feels like one year is already four full seasons in the NBA for LaMelo Ball, and the Hornets still haven’t found success.

Neither Hornets fans nor the organization itself can settle for mediocrity, and even though Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball form a potentially great young doubleheader, the word POTENTIAL once again screams loudly.

If the Hornets last another season and it ends without a playoff spot or with a “If LaMelo had been healthy, this team would have been terrible,” something has to change.

After the 2024-2025 season, what has to change is that LaMelo Ball will be traded.

Why should the Hornets trade LaMelo Ball?

The Charlotte Hornets are currently experiencing the longest playoff drought in the NBA and have missed the playoffs every year since 2016. 53% of NBA teams make the NBA playoffs every year and have done so for 8 years in a row???

Ball signed a major contract extension, but not under new GM Jeff Peterson, who was hired in February 2024.

LaMelo has played a total of 4 seasons and has only played in 44% of games due to a variety of ankle injuries. The problem for franchises that continue to never get over the hump is simply not making drastic changes and hoping for “better health.” A perfect example of this are the Los Angeles Clippers with Kawhi Leonard. LA has had Kawhi for 5 seasons and has won 3 playoff series in total, none of them in the last 3 seasons. The main issue with this has been the health of a player like Kawhi, who is undoubtedly a top 10 player when healthy.

If LA continues to hope for good health, this organization will never progress, and that is what the Hornets must avoid.

After the 2024-2025 season, Steph would have one more season making $59 million and would need a contract extension, but at currently 36 years old, he shouldn’t be hoping for a record-breaking contract extension.

The Hornets team with a guy they believe can be one of the top wing scorers, Brandon Miller, the fourth highest salary earner and arguably the best point guard to ever walk this earth It wouldn’t be a bad situation for the Hornets if they didn’t make the playoffs for another season.

Why should the Golden State Warriors trade Steph Curry?

The Warriors are looking to rebuild next year by signing Buddy Hield to replace Klay Thompson and developing young talent like Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson Davis. If next year is another flop and they fail to make the playoffs, the Warriors will have to seriously consider how Steph fits into their championship plans.

Last season, he posted the worst plus-minus of his career as he ages and is unable to carry an offense for an entire season.

The other teams in the Western Conference are loaded with young talent and this Warriors team desperately needs to find a way to compete, and the 2024 roster definitely has the chance to do so. The X-factor that will determine how well this team does is finding a player to take the pressure off Steph on offense, and I can’t really imagine anyone other than Kuminga being able to do that, and even with him, it’s unlikely he’ll be a 1B or a #2 on an elite team.

From Golden State’s perspective: If the 2024 season goes wrong because they don’t make the playoffs or are eliminated early, and Charlotte is ready to offer a 23-year-old star a contract for the next four years. How can you not listen?

While I don’t work in the Warriors’ front office, this scenario would be a breeze by having this conversation.

With his contract, LaMelo is currently the 34th highest-paid player in the NBA, and given his potential as a star, that’s an insane amount for a team that needs a light at the end of the tunnel.

If injury concerns are the price I’m willing to pay for new hope at the end of this Warriors dynasty, it’s a price that, should it happen, will make them look like geniuses.

Why does this trade make sense for both parties?

We’ll start with Curry since he was mostly in Charlotte, North Carolina, where his father, Dell Curry, spent the majority of his NBA career. With Steph entering his 36th season and his 37th the following year (would be his first year in Charlotte if he were traded NEXT OFFSEASON), Steph may want to end his career with a fairytale ending in his hometown.

Steph would also have a lot of say in a transfer, IF it happened, and would either look to play somewhere he has a personal connection to or play for a championship contender with an elite star (like LeBron James and the Lakers).

The Warriors had a chance to recruit LaMelo but passed on him in favor of James Wiseman, which proved unwise. Now they have a chance to correct that and get a shot at one of the all-time greats in the process.

All in all, this trade would be an important step in the right direction, even if the coming year is not successful for either team.

Want more NBA content? Click these links!

Which NBA players have the HIGHEST WEALTH | The Wright Way Network (twsn.net)

This player will change the landscape of the NBA | The Wright Way Network (twsn.net)