{"id":796527,"date":"2026-07-26T20:18:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T20:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/796527\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T20:18:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T20:18:17","slug":"steph-curry-may-be-ready-for-new-warriors-team-building-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/796527\/","title":{"rendered":"Steph Curry may be ready for new Warriors team-building strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steph Curry wanted LeBron James to join the Warriors<\/a>, but his restrained reaction after James chose the 76ers suggested he never allowed himself to count on the partnership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why you don\u2019t envision anything until it happens,\u201d Curry said<\/a> from Moses Moody\u2019s youth camp. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of moving parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curry\u2019s public response contained no criticism of the Warriors and little visible disappointment. The Athletic\u2019s Marcus Thompson II believes that may be because Curry had already begun reconsidering Golden State\u2019s repeated pursuit of another superstar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Athletic\u2019s Marcus Thompson II believes Steph Curry may be tired of the Warriors\u2019 star chasing and ready for a deeper, younger roster around him. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Speaking on KNBR, Thompson suggested Curry probably knew before the public that James was leaning elsewhere and may have grown weary of waiting for the next blockbuster addition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s probably a little tired of the star chasing,\u201d Thompson said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Golden State has spent years searching for another difference-maker to extend Curry\u2019s championship window<\/a>. The Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler in 2025 and have since explored possibilities involving James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown and Anthony Davis.<\/p>\n

None of those latest pursuits produced another star.<\/p>\n

Thompson wondered whether Curry would now prefer the Warriors to build a deeper, younger roster rather than repeatedly pinning their hopes on one transformative move.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s give me some eager youngsters and we got to it,\u201d Thompson said while imagining Curry\u2019s potential viewpoint. \u201cLet\u2019s go the Davidson route, right? Let\u2019s go the [Southern Conference] route. Just put together the best team.\u201d<\/p>\n

LeBron James (left) Steph Curry would have been an intriguing partnership with the Warriors. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

That interpretation remains Thompson\u2019s speculation, not a position Curry has publicly confirmed. Curry has continued emphasizing his desire for Golden State to construct the best roster possible, and he acknowledged that the organization discussed creative ways to improve.<\/p>\n

The circumstances surrounding the Warriors have also changed dramatically.<\/p>\n

Butler is recovering from a torn ACL, while Moody is working his way back from a torn patellar tendon. Their injuries altered Golden State\u2019s plans long before James made his decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole calculus of everything changes,\u201d Curry said. \u201cHow do you get through their absence and still stay at a certain level? And then how that goes into this year. It\u2019s the same deal. So, I\u2019m a realist on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Warriors\u2019 roster didn\u2019t change much during the offseason. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

That realism does not necessarily mean Curry has accepted another season outside championship contention. He is entering the final year of his contract at age 38, and Thompson previously suggested the timing of a possible extension could give Curry leverage to keep pressure on management.<\/p>\n

But Curry also appears to understand that Golden State cannot construct its future around hypothetical trades or free agent decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t live in any alternative universe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In this one, the Warriors may need Curry to carry another depleted offense while Butler and Moody recover. Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is brings additional talent but has struggled to remain consistently available. Draymond Green is expected to return to an aging core.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Butler (left) and Curry are hoping for better seasons healthwise in 2026-27. Getty Images<\/p>\n

That leaves Golden State in an uncomfortable position: hoping for one more elite Curry season while remaining reluctant to sacrifice every future asset for a move that may not make it a legitimate contender.<\/p>\n

Thompson believes the repeated cycle of anticipation and disappointment could be taking its toll.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis championship hopes is tied to something completely else,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cAnd I think he\u2019d much rather it be tied to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curry has not publicly turned against the Warriors\u2019 strategy. His comments instead sound like someone who has learned not to build expectations around a star who has not yet arrived.<\/p>\n

After another failed pursuit, Golden State may soon have to determine whether Curry still believes in chasing the next big name \u2014 or would rather the franchise finally try something different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Steph Curry wanted LeBron James to join the Warriors, but his restrained reaction after James chose the 76ers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":796528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3786],"tags":[7,479,164,4025,4024,185,6,29085,66,573,255],"class_list":["post-796527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golden-state-warriors","tag-basketball","tag-golden-state","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-goldenstate","tag-goldenstatewarriors","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba","tag-northern-california","tag-sports","tag-stephen-curry","tag-warriors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116988130591139818","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=796527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/796528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=796527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=796527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=796527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}