Stephen Curry places rare public pressure on Warriors in fresh comment on his future

Thanks to the Golden State Warriors omission from the 2024 playoffs and the departure of franchise legend Klay Thompson in free agency, it seems Stephen Curry is being asked about his future more so than ever this offseason.

In the days following Thompson's exit earlier in the month, Curry told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports that he wants to be a "Warrior for life" but that things "things change quickly" in the NBA. It rose some agnst among Golden State fans, yet it was nothing to be too alarmed about right?

Stephen Curry has placed pressure on the Golden State Warriors to remain competitive over the remainder of his career

Now, during an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Curry has seemingly applied some pressure on the front office to put the brakes on Golden State's free-fall since their 2022 championship.

Asked about his future again, Curry suggested that he'd "have a hard time" playing out his career with the Warriors were the team to slide further down the Western Conference standings after finishing 10th last season.

"If it is a situation where you’re a bottom feeder and it’s just because you want to stay there [with the same team your entire career], I’d have a hard time with that. But I don’t think that’s going to be the reality."

- Stephen Curry

Curry reiterated that he's taking it one step at a time but remains optimistic about his team's chances of being competitive next season. Still, this is one of the first times the 36-year-old has placed public pressure on the franchise to keep winning, or face the prospect of their greatest ever player reconsidering his future.

At the very least Curry can't deny that Golden State have tried to add greater support alongside him this offseason. They made a significant play for 9x All-Star Paul George prior to free agency, only for the L.A. Clippers to reject various trade proposals. They now remain the favorite for Lauri Markkanen should the Utah Jazz choose to trade the 2023 All-Star prior to becoming extension eligible on August 6.

But at the end of the day it's a results-based business and the Warriors pursuit of George and Markkanen won't mean anything if they both end in failure. That would the franchise with less wiggle room to be a genuine playoff contender next season, and subsequently only increase speculation on Curry's future if things go awry.