Stephen Curry might be 36 years old, but he's still one of the top 10 players in the league and good enough to win a championship.
If there was any doubt about that statement, Curry removed it in a brilliant 36-point game against Serbia in the Olympic semifinals, followed by 24 points and four clutch 3s to win Team USA a gold medal against France. He's still that guy, at least for another year.
Curry has done his part in taking excellent care of his body, continuing to hone his skills while remaining the best shooter on the planet. The Warriors have quietly let him down, though, shedding massive salary and talent this offseason by letting Chris Paul and Klay Thompson walk for little return.
After all that he has done for the franchise, Golden State owes it to Curry to build a better team than the one that failed to even make the playoffs last season. The Warriors have avenues to improve, including promising young players and three future first-round picks.
Players who have been linked to them previously, such as Paul George, Lauri Markkanen and Jimmy Butler, are no longer realistic options, but there are some former All-Stars who could help Golden State and are very available.
The Warriors believe they are still "well-positioned for a trade upgrade at some point in the next year or so," reported NBA insider Marc Stein. Here are three targets that they should consider.
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Three trades to get Stephen Curry the help he needs
1. Nikola Vucevic, Bulls
The Warriors do not have great depth at center. Draymond Green is still a good option, but he's not capable of playing that position full-time. Kevon Looney has dropped off dramatically and is no longer a starter-quality big man. And Trayce Jackson-Davis is a promising young player but not dynamic enough to start on a championship-caliber team.
Enter Vucevic, who is on the decline himself but still a solid starter in the league. The Bulls are in the midst of a retool, and the big man doesn't fit at all into their long-term plans.
Vucevic would be a good fit in the Warriors' system. He's a smart elbow passer who loves working out of split cuts, which have been a staple of Steve Kerr's offense. He could give them an extra dimension with his post play that they haven't really had previously. And he's a good defensive rebounder and screener.
Most importantly, it wouldn't take much to get Vucevic. The Warriors could throw in Andrew Wiggins and a young prospect like Jackson-Davis to get a deal done.
Here's what a framework might look like:
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2. Brandon Ingram, Pelicans
It's no secret that the Pelicans have been trying to shop Ingram. There hasn't been much interest in the talented wing, mostly because of the four-year, $208 million extension that he's seeking.
That is a hefty price tag for the one-time All-Star, but he could help the Warriors next season as the No. 2 guy on the team. He is also still young enough at the age of 26 to help usher in their new era once Curry and Green retire. The Warriors need a secondary scorer to put alongside Curry, and Ingram has averaged 23.1 points per game over the past five seasons.
Ingram does have flaws, which have kept other teams away from him. He doesn't embrace spotting up for many 3s and he's a worse defender than he should be in theory. But he's a much better player than he showed in last year's first-round series against the Thunder, where he tried to come back quickly from injury and looked ineffective in scoring only 14.3 points per game.
Ultimately, Ingram can create his own shot well and works as a No. 2 guy on a good team.
Here's what a trade for Ingram might look like:
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3. James Harden, Clippers
Harden can't be traded until Dec. 15 due to recently signed player restrictions, but there's a good chance that he will be available by then.
It's not clear exactly what the Clippers are doing this season. They have a veteran-laden team but not enough to compete in a stacked Western Conference after the departure of Paul George and Russell Westbrook. If they are stuck somewhere in the middle, which seems highly likely, then Harden might very well be one of the best players out there at the trade deadline.
Harden certainly isn't the player that he was back in his MVP days, but he was still worthy of All-Star consideration last season due to his phenomenal court vision and shooting.
Harden also isn't a perfect fit in Golden State. The Warriors would have to scrap some of their playbook, which they already will need to do anyway given the departure of Thompson. But the combination of Harden and Curry on the floor together would give them the potential to be a top-tier offense once again. Defense would be an issue, but those two guys are simply too smart and too good not to figure out a way to score together.
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Harden just signed a two-year, $70 million contract with a player option in the second year. That would allow him to age out in the same year as Curry and Green, giving the Warriors the next two seasons to maximize winning.
Here's what a deal might look like:
The Warriors would also have a pick in either 2027 or 2028 to offer if they needed to add more to that deal, along with a slew of young players.
These three options are available for the Warriors if they are willing to endure some more pain when the bill comes due in a few years. Curry has completely transformed their franchise and increased their valuation by billions of dollars. They owe it to him to make one more big swing.
