Warriors window may be open longer than people think

There is a popular and well-made argument that the Golden State Warriors need to push all their chips to the middle of the table and make a major move sometime in the next six months. That is, throwing up all their young assets (James Wiseman, Pick 7 and 14, Jordan Poole, future first-rounders etc.) to acquire another all-star calibre player.

The biggest argument to this is maximising the prime of Stephen Curry, a player who may, if he isn’t already, go down as the greatest player in Warriors franchise history. Curry is coming off a phenomenal season where he led the league in scoring and finished third in MVP voting.

Much has been made of the Golden State Warriors most pressing conundrum – loading up for the present or trying to balance between that and the future.

But he’s 33 years old, how long can he continue his brilliance? Many think he’s only got two years left in his prime, that therefore the Warriors only have two seasons to take advantage of this championship window.

Why should it be limited to that though? Can the Warriors front office expect Curry to still be a great player in four seasons time?

Firstly, with Curry’s current contract running out at the end of next season, they’ll most likely look to re-sign him to a max extension. This will mean he will still be on huge money into his late thirties, and although he may not be in his prime, the Warriors will still expect a return on investment.

Secondly, look at the way Chris Paul changed the fortunes of the Phoenix Suns at age 36. Yes, he was disappointing during the final four games of the recently concluded NBA Finals, but that shouldn’t take away from an impressive run in his 16th NBA season.

Paul’s a great player, but Curry is widely regarded as a better player. Therefore why can’t he be performing at a similar level?

Aside from running around screens to create shooting space, as well finishing physically through contact at the rim, Curry largely relies on pure skill that shouldn’t dissipate as quickly as those reliant on athleticism.

The ideal situation for Warriors fans and the front office? They win at least one title in the next two years whilst Curry is still an MVP calibre player.

Then potentially in five years, when Curry has slowed slightly but is still an elite three-point shooter and all-star calibre player, they can win another with James Wiseman as their out-and-out best player.

It’s a dream many may deem as fanciful, yet the style of Curry’s game and his overall professionalism leads itself to being possible, for being a reason why Bob Myers and the front office may be hesitant to relinquish their young assets.