LeBron James’ decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers has continued to send shockwaves through the NBA, leaving Stephen Curry to reflect on Golden State’s failed pursuit of the four-time champion.
Stephen Curry’s remarkable career with the Golden State Warriors could be heading towards a difficult conclusion after the franchise missed out on landing LeBron James in free agency, leaving fresh questions over the team’s ability to contend for another championship.
James ended months of speculation on Saturday morning by signing a two-year, $8 million ($A11 million) deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, with a player option for the second season. The move will see the four-time NBA champion enter his record-breaking 24th NBA season, with the possibility of extending his career into a 25th.
Golden State was among the teams seriously pursuing James, with many believing the chance to pair him alongside Curry represented the Warriors’ best opportunity to maximise the final years of their superstar’s career.
Instead, the Warriors were left empty-handed, adding to growing concerns about the direction of the franchise.
Warriors insider Tim Kawakami believes owner Joe Lacob has already begun shifting his focus towards life after Curry, rather than going all-in on one final championship run.
“What Lacob wants to do, and this might get Warriors fans mad. He wants to build the next team after Steph Curry,” Kawakami said on the TK Show.
“I don’t know how possible that is, but Lacob has a very keen interest in…this organisation’s going to show what it can do with Steph Curry and then after Steph Curry.”
At 38 years old, Curry is still performing at an elite level, averaging 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds across 43 games last season while shooting 46.8% from the field, 39.3% from three-point range and 92.3% from the free-throw line.
However, injuries and a lack of roster depth contributed to another disappointing campaign. Golden State finished 37-45, ending the regular season in 10th place before defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in the Play-In Tournament and then falling to the Phoenix Suns.
The failure to land James only adds to the uncertainty surrounding the Warriors’ future.
Curry admitted he had hoped the pair would finally have the chance to play together after years of battling one another on the NBA’s biggest stage.
“That’s why you don’t envision anything until it happens,” Curry said. “There’s a lot of moving parts.”
James’ decision means Golden State will once again enter the season relying on its ageing core, something Curry acknowledged presents a difficult challenge after injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody derailed last year’s campaign.
“The through line, which is hard on anybody in this situation, especially with us keeping this thing together, is knowing that when Jimmy [Butler] got hurt and Moses [Moody] got hurt, the whole calculus of everything changes,” Curry said.
“How do you get through their absence and still stay at a certain level? And then how that goes into this year. It’s the same deal. So, I’m a realist on that.”
Before James made his decision, Curry had openly pitched the idea of the four-time NBA champion joining him in the Bay Area.
“The Bay, we know how to win, it’s beautiful weather, great golf, and I know he’s into that,” Curry said.
“The USA experience that we had, the battles that we’ve had over the years, we just know how to play basketball and I think that he would enjoy just the idea of what it means to finish your career the right way.”
Instead, James will suit up for a Philadelphia team now considered one of the favourites to win the NBA championship, while Curry and the Warriors face another season with questions over whether they can build one final contender around the franchise icon.
With James now in the Eastern Conference, the two legends are scheduled to meet just twice during the regular season, once in Philadelphia and once in San Francisco, in what could be two of the final chapters of one of the NBA’s greatest rivalries.
