9 Steph Curry trades for Warriors to say goodbye to their legendary point guard
Trade No. 8: New Orleans Pelicans
Something that most of these trades are ignoring is what happens to Draymond Green if Stephen Curry asks for a trade. It makes little sense for the Warriors to hold onto the defensive ace if they move off of Curry for packages of prospects and picks.
Enter the New Orleans Pelicans, who have a lot of money they wish to move off of in CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. What if they made a massive swing to reshape the roster, sending their expensive players to the Warriors to blow through their ceiling as a team?
Enter this trade proposal:
Curry AND Draymond trade to Pels for Ingram, CJ
The Pelicans would be making a massive swing, but if you're going to try and hit a home run, getting two of the winningest players in NBA history is the way to do it. The offensive pairing of Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson is electric, while Draymond Green gives them a defensive edge that, when paired with Herbert Jones on the wing, would be terrifying for opponents.
Who would the Pelicans start? They would have a clear-cut Top 6, with someone needing to come off the bench. That could be Trey Murphy III because of tenure, or Zion Williamson could start at center with Green coming off the bench. The backups behind them would be extremely thin, but that's a solvable problem. The top-end firepower would be incredible.
Who Says No: The Pelicans almost certainly say yes to this deal; they get out of paying Ingram, get out from under McCollum's contract, add shooting and defense and star power. It's expensive, but the upside is sky-high, and if all of Curry, Green and Zion are healthy in the playoffs a title is very reachable.
What about Curry? It would be unorthodox, and no one is clamoring to end up in New Orleans, but getting to continue going to battle with Draymond would be special. Zion's injury history is worrisome, but that goes for most players he could team up with. It's at least worth thinking about.
The same would go for the Warriors, who probably are the ones to shoot down this trade. Ingram has a solid amount of value but the Warriors are also essentially forced to pay him handsomely to re-sign in this scenario. McCollum is overpaid with two years left on his deal. Hawkins and Alvarado are valuable role players, and the draft capital is significant. This deal would be a drastic change to the Warriors' roster, but the value is good enough for them to pause and consider.