Former NBA champion and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes Stephen Curry needs to be freed from the Golden State Warriors amid the franchise's 10-13 start to the season.
The Warriors' season went from bad to worse on Tuesday night, with Steve Kerr having to make some tough but needed calls during the 119-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Could Stephen Curry request a trade from the Golden State Warriors amid all the drama surrounding the franchise?
Curry shot the ball poorly in having 24 points on 24 field-goal attempts against the Suns, but has otherwise been his usual MVP-level self despite Golden State's disappointing season.
After tweeting "Free Steph Curry!! He doesn't deserve this. Real Talk" on Tuesday night, Perkins doubled-down during his appearance on NBA Today on Wednesday.
""Free him from all the bs that surrounds him...Steph don't deserve this, Steph is giving us great basketball. Steph has more great basketball to give us. We cannot waste Steph Curry's valuable time while he's still here," Perkins exclaimed."
"We cannot waste Steph Curry's valuable time while he's still here." @kendrickperkins wants Steph to be freed from Golden State 😳 pic.twitter.com/dMNqzvk9Pr
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 13, 2023
Perkins pointed to the growing drama surrounding the franchise, with veteran forward Draymond Green suspended indefinitely by the league on Wednesday after his hit on Phoenix big man Jusuf Nurkic.
On the floor, the form of Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson continues to go under the microscope. The former was benched to start the third-quarter and played less than 15 minutes in Tuesday's game, leaving his role and even his future with the team uncertain. Thompson too was benched over the final six minutes of the three-point defeat, with further details then emerging regarding the franchise's contract offer to him prior to the season.
With so many storylines and queries hanging over his fellow veterans, could Curry make the stunning call and request to leave the franchise? It's almost impossible to see that materializing given his stature as the franchise's greatest ever player, not to mention he's the longest-tenured player with one team currently in the league.
If anything, all Perkins' comments do is give opposing fans the irrational dream that Curry could be available to their team. Is the 35-year-old frustrated with the Warriors' current form and production? Absolutely. But this isn't the first time in his 15-year career where that has been the case, and every single time he's backed himself to lead the franchise out of the doldrums and back to success.