The reasons for Stephen Curry to ask for a trade are stacking up.
His Olympic brilliance only further illustrates that he is playing at a high level and capable of those indelible moments to drive a contending team to a championship. However, the Golden State Warriors have not been able to build a contending team around him, and after a year of strikeouts on the trade market, that goal doesn't appear to be any closer.
Let's assume for a moment that Curry did come to the Warriors and tell them he wants out, that he wants to try to compete for another title before his prime is over. That would be an earth-shattering development, but it's no longer crazy to think that it could happen.
Once that conversation happens, the task becomes finding a trade partner that would work for all parties involved. Curry would need to be comfortable with the landing spot; Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors aren't going to dump him on the Detroit Pistons just because they offer the biggest return. The Warriors would likewise need to be comfortable with the trade package being returned to them. And, first and foremost, there would need to be other NBA teams willing to trade for him.
Will teams be interested in trading for Curry?
Not every team that could be interested in Curry will be, either because of the cost or the matching salary or the timing. Nearly every team in the league could use the greatest shooter of all time, but it doesn't make sense for everyone to push the chips in for a 36-year-old superstar point guard.
Some teams will be interested, however, and will make an offer to the Warriors. The trade landscape has changed somewhat since the Brooklyn Nets fleeced the Phoenix Suns to land Kevin Durant. The Warriors can't expect quite so much for an older player on an expiring-but-massive contract in the "second apron" era.
What sort of packages could they expect? Who will be offering them? And are there combinations of team and offer that would make all three parties happy enough to pull the trigger?
Let's look at nine teams that could realistically trade for Stephen Curry and evaluate them from all angles. We start with the hometown team making a play for their greatest star.