Stephen Curry may want to compete for a fifth NBA championship, but the Golden State Warriors are placing an obstacle in front of that wish with their unwillingness to relinquish future asets for a win-now move.
The Atlanta Hawks decision to move on from their Trae Young era on Wednesday further proves that Curry is one of one, and that the Warriors should be doing all they can to maximize the remaining prime of the 2x MVP who is still playing at an elite level despite nearing 38-years-old.
Trae Young trade further proves Warriors must maximize Stephen Curry
Any undersized guard who shows immense shooting potential will inevitable draw comparisons to Curry, but no one epitomized that more so than Young when he entered the league back in 2018.
The Hawks saw the vision of a supremely talented offensive player who, despite being undersized, held a special enough skillset to potentially emulate Curry's success with the Warriors. Aaron C. Mansfield of Complex even wrote a piece prior to the 2018 NBA Draft asking, 'Is Trae Young Really the Next Steph Curry?'
"Young audaciously and effortlessly flicks 30-footers, draining bad shot after bad shot with his lightning-quick release. With the ball on a string like a yo-yo, he leaves helpless big men, isolated after ball screens, spinning. Young whips no-look passes; his court vision is extraordinary," Mansfield wrote.
Young's time with Atlanta was far from a failure, but at the same time, what did it exactly result in? The Hawks extraordinarily made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, yet people often put an asterisk on that given the complete meltdown suffered by the Philadelphia 76ers. That was the only two series' won in the Young era , while Atlanta also missed the playoffs entirely in four of his seven full seasons.
This isn't to disrespect who Young is as a player, but rather to elevate Curry and prove that he's impossible to replicate. The Hawks couldn't get their Stephen Curry despite the comparisons, and the Warriors aren't about to find another one after he retires.
What's the post Curry future look like? Fairly bleak given Golden State were unable to hit on their three lottery picks across the 2021 and 2022 drafts. While they have a player this good who can still be the best player on the floor against the league's other greats, they owe it to Curry, themselves and the fanbase to sacrifice some of the future for the present.