Golden State Warriors must do what it takes to maximize Stephen Curry’s prime

Lost in the Golden State Warriors’ rollercoaster of a season was the brilliance of an aging Stephen Curry, who turned 35 in March.

Even in his 14th season, Curry managed to put up MVP-like numbers on a nightly basis, averaging 29.4 points, 6.3 assists, and a career-high 6.1 rebounds per game, while shooting  49.3% from the field and 42.7% from three-point range.

It seems like it’s been forever, but only a few weeks ago, Curry put the entire Warriors organization on his back, scoring 50 points in Game 7 of Golden State’s first-round clash with the Sacramento Kings to stave off an even earlier elimination.

The Golden State Warriors came up short and failed to get back to the NBA Finals stage. Still, Stephen Curry was as brilliant as ever, and the franchise must capitalize on his ability to sustain such high-level production.

If the last few seasons are any indication, Curry has at least a few more quality years ahead of him, and the face of the franchise has voiced his desire give it another go with the core guys.

“I think the most likely scenario is that the Warriors keep most of this together for at least one more season,” Tim Kawakami of The Athletic wrote in his mailbag this week. “That’s what Curry wants. His opinion sort of matters.”

Draymond Green will likely sign an extension once free agency begins in July, checking an important box on the to-do list. But Golden State boasts a lot of young talent and a decent amount of draft equity which they could parlay into another star player.

Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are two attractive 20-year-olds who’ve each shown flashes of two-way excellence. While Jordan Poole’s value has taken a size-able hit after an underwhelming year, the 23-year-old combo guard is another player that could be packaged as a part of a bigger deal to acquire a win-now piece.

Pascal Siakam, Jaylen Brown, and OG Anunoby are just a few names that have been linked to the Dubs in recent reports.

The Warriors dynasty is hanging in the balance, and the front office is about to face a critical inflection point. Joe Lacob has remained confident that the core five — Curry, Green, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney — will be locked up for the immediate future. Alas, those five guys were all apart of the Warriors’ disappointing second-round exit this year, suggesting that the Dubs may need to do more to ensure that they have the best shot at getting back to the top.

For an organization that’s built its success from the ground up, parting with their most recent lot of homegrown players would be tough to say the least, but it’s a move that the Warriors have to consider for the better of the franchise.