3 emergency trades to give Steph Curry one last shot at winning it all

The Golden State Warriors are having one of their worst seasons since Steph Curry broke out as a star more than a decade ago. After a 15-3 start, the Warriors stand at 19-19, going 4-16 in their last 19 games. They dropped from being the number one seed west to 11th and are just a half-game ahead of the No. 12 seed Sacramento Kings.

After winning the 2022 NBA Championship, many fans expected the Warriors to still be competitive for the next few years. But Jordan Poole wasn't the transitional star to lead the no era. He's been traded, James Wiseman was a bust and the Warriors have progressively got worse, season after season.

The Warriors know Curry's time in the NBA is limited and wants to win. Here are three trades to give him one more chance to win a championship.

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3. Gary Payton, Kyle Anderson and Moses Moody and a future pick for Cameron Johnson

The Warriors already made a trade with the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the season to get Dennis Schroder, and if they want to improve the team, they should get Cameron Johnson, who has been playing at an All-Star level.

Johnson has been having the best season of his career, putting up 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and three assists on .496/.436/.895 shooting splits. He's averaging these numbers where on most nights, he has been the number one option. In Golden State, he would be at best the second option, and the system that Steve Kerr runs would be a perfect fit for him.

The Warriors have been a top-10 defensive team in the league, but what's most shocking is that they are a bottom-10 offense in the league, ranking 20th in offensive rating. Most of that is because the players around Curry are just very good role players.

Golden State needs more consistency from their players. They are relying on Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga to be the second option, but their consistency is hit or miss. Adding Johnson would provide a level of consistency that the Warriors don't have outside of Curry.

With the Nets going into rebuild mode, there's a good chance a team like the Warriors could steal Johnson away. Since Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, and Moses Moody don't play that much when everyone's healthy, that is the perfect package offer to acquire him with the Warriors only have to stretch by adding a future pick.

2. An Andrew Wiggins package for Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is the hottest player on the market, as reports have said that he is interested in playing basketball for anyone except the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies. At the moment, his top target is the Suns, but if the Warriors want Curry to get one more title, Butler may be their best option.

The numbers he's been putting up this year are the worst of his time in Miami, averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The good news is that his efficiency is off the charts with .552/.375/.788 shooting splits. His advanced numbers are similar to years past in Miami as well, which means his lower numbers are a result of his minutes and usage rating being lower.

Curry and Butler are both at similar stages in their career. Both are above the age of 35 but still want to win a championship — In the case of Butler, wanting to win his first after losing in the NBA Finals twice.

In order for the Warriors to obtain Butler, they must start the package with Andrew Wiggins, as Butler would be replacing him. After that, they may have to give up three to four other players to match the contract with Miami adding in some pieces or a third team getting involved. The Warriors would be taking a huge risk, especially if Butler's injury history follows him.

As long as the Warriors get to the playoffs, with a healthy Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green, they could make magic happen. We've seen Butler do the impossible before in the playoffs, getting to the finals as an 8th seed, but having the greatest shooter ever to carry more of the load, anything could happen.

1. Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton and Kyle Anderson and a future pick for Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine is another name that has been very sought after in the trade market and the former two-time All-Star is still playing at a high level and leading the Chicago Bulls to a respectable record in the Eastern Conference.

On the season, he's averaging 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on .512/.444/.817 shooting splits. LaVine is the number one option in Chicago and has been throughout his time there and is one of the most efficient scorers in the league. With the Warriors needing offense, he is a perfect fit for Kerr's system.

Curry and LaVine would be a newer version of Curry and Klay Thompson offensively. Both shoot a high volume of 3s, make a high volume of 3s, and are great moving off the ball. LaVine in the presence of Curry will open things up for him and vice versa. This trade would also benefit Buddy Hield, who is another high-volume 3-point shooter.

There would be a lot of risk in this trade for the Warriors too. Andrew Wiggins is a big reason as to why the Warriors are great defensively, but in this new NBA, teams need to be great offensively as well to compete for a championship. As great as Gary Payton II and Kyle Anderson are defensively, their offense value is limited.

If Golden State were to do this trade or something close to it, their hope is to have LaVine's offensive value be greater than the defensive value of Wiggins, Payton and Anderson. It is very likely that would happen because they still have other great defenders but don't have anyone else, besides Curry, who is great as LaVine is on the offensive end.

Since this trade doesn't require them to give up as much as it would for Jimmy Butler, this makes this the best option for the Warriors to try and get Curry one more championship.