5 sharks that should be lurking in water for Steph Curry if he leaves Warriors

The Golden State Warriors' offseason has been one of long-overdue change. After years of festering discontent, which boiled over in a big way last season, Klay Thompson left. The Splash Brothers are now the Splash Brother. The front office has done an excellent job of filling out the roster around Stephen Curry, even targeting All-Star wings like Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. Absent an earth-shattering trade, however, it's unclear how high the Dubs can climb in a competitive Western Conference.

Steph is the Golden State Warrior. If we write the history book of that franchise, he's on the cover. A four-time champ, Finals MVP, and a global brand unto himself, it's no secret that Golden State wants Curry to retire in a Warriors uniform. The Klay situation got toxic and weird. And, most importantly, he's not half as good as Curry. It's the simple truth. Steph has long been more essential and more beloved within the organization.

While Curry wants to finish strong with the team that drafted him, the 36-year-old ominously left the door open for a team change with recent comments to Team USA reporters.

"If it is a situation where you’re a bottom feeder and it’s just because you want to stay there, I’d have a hard time with that. But I don’t think that’s going to be the reality."

That is not 'I want to finish my career in Golden State.' That is very clearly a comment meant to apply pressure to the Dubs' front office after letting his best friend walk. And, while it's hard to even fathom, several teams should be prepping for a Curry sweepstakes, just in case. The early bird gets the worm, and such.

5. Philadelphia 76ers

Honestly, no idea how the Philadelphia 76ers pull this off with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey all locked up on long-term max contracts. Maybe the Warriors finally get George after all. It's unclear how exactly Curry's departure would play out in this hypothetical — whether he leaves as a free agent in 2026 or demands a trade at some point in the future. Either way, Daryl Morey loves to hunt game-changing talent, and Curry fits the bill. You can bet Philadelphia will be paying close attention.

This is a dream fit for Joel Embiid, who has always been at his best with movement shooters orbiting him on the perimeter. The Embiid-Curry DHOs would be flat-out unguardable. Curry can run through a maze of screens keeping defenders occupied while Embiid pressures the middle of the floor and collapses the defense. Man, just think about it.

Again, the logistics under the new CBA are rather tricky. Maybe it ends up not being possible. But, we are talking about sharks in the water. Where there's a will there's often a way in the NBA, and few general managers embody that ideal more than Morey. The Sixers' president will work tirelessly to land Curry if presented with the opportunity.

4. Denver Nuggets

Again, financially, this could get tricky for the Denver Nuggets. That front office has operated very cheaply over the last couple years, letting the depth around Nikola Jokic slowly leak out. Denver entered the postseason with dead legs and just lost their top perimeter defender and spot-up shooter. So, yeah, it's not going well.

If we get to the point where Steph is forcing his way out of Golden State, however, basketball purists everywhere should band together to manifest this outcome. As students of the game, shouldn't we all root for Curry-Jokic to happen? What an opportunity to expand noggins and redefine what it means to play connected, team basketball.

Jokic and Curry were built for each other in a lab. Jokic's microsecond processing speed. Curry's endless cutting and relocating, his crisp and compact shooting mechanics. There would be no stopping the Nuggets' offense. I'm not sure it would matter who is left around them at that point.

Even if it's only for a year or two at the tail-end of Steph's career, let's please make this happen. It just... it's too good.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are always in the mix for these scenarios. Everybody grows up dreaming of Kobe Bryant, or at a certain age, Magic Johnson. It's Show Time, it's the entertainment capital of the world — it's purple and gold. It would not be surprising at all for Curry to gravitate to the Lakers' brand if his Golden State setup collapses, whether LeBron James is still around or not.

We'd all love to see Steph and LeBron on the same court for 82-odd games in a season. If the latter retires before Curry becomes available, though, Anthony Davis will still be around. That's a tremendous pairing in its own right. Davis can anchor the defense, finish vertically at the rim, and dominate out of two-man actions with Steph.

Let's even assume JJ Redick is still the coach. What a dream personnel match for him. Curry is like Redick on steroids with his persistent off-ball motion and shooting from wacky angles.

I cannot bring myself to care personally, but it is often said that it's "good for basketball" when the Lakers are good and fun. The team hasn't been good enough or fun enough for a minute, though. Steph can change that.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

Now let's get to the teams with real assets to throw at Golden State in a potential trade. And, if we're being honest, the Oklahoma City Thunder probably represent Curry's best chance to compete for a title in his twilight years. If he's willing to sacrifice brand prominence and locale sheen, the Thunder would prosper with Steph in the mix — and vice versa.

OKC has built its offense around skill at every position. Virtually the entire roster, 1-5, with a few exceptions, can dribble, pass, and shoot. The Isaiah Hartenstein addition brings an edge and physicality to the frontcourt, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso, and Lu Dort form the best defensive backcourt in the NBA. Lest we forget, Jalen Williams, Aaron Wiggins, and Cason Wallace are awesome defenders, too.

Curry would be well-insulated defensively in his final years. He would get the chance to play alongside the NBA's premier rim-pressure guard in SGA, who always gets two feet in the paint. Drive-and-kick in the name of the game in OKC. It would be a different style of offense for Steph, but there's no reason to believe he would struggle. There'd still be plenty of movement, plenty of open 3s, and a wide range of offensive finishers for him to set up.

OKC probably wants to keep its timelines aligned. Curry is more than a decade older than the Thunder core and the financial fallout of a trade would be significant. Still, if we're thinking about teams that can really pull this off in terms of resources, OKC is on the list.

1. New Orleans Pelicans

Again, in terms of assets, the New Orleans Pelicans are set up for an earnest run at Steph. Odds are this all comes down to where Steph demands a trade — news flash, it's probably not New Orleans — but again, let's assume for a moment that Curry prioritizes winning over market size. The Pelicans have one heck of a team, and enough trade ammo to land him without cleaning house.

In terms of ideal star pairings for Curry, we don't need to go far down the list before to find Zion Williamson. The health issues persist, but Zion is a walking paint touch. He's a 6-foot-6, 284-pound point guard, wrecking defenses with unfathomable speed, strength, and agility in tight spaces. Pairing Zion's downhill attacks with Curry's floor-stretching gravity could yield incredible results.

We shall see how the rest of New Orleans' roster shapes up in the years to come. CJ McCollum is reaching the end of the road with the Pelicans, the Dejounte Murray fit is strange, and Brandon Ingram is clearly on a ticking clock. Herb Jones and Trey Murphy are ultra-reliable, though, and the Pelicans' breadth of assets should help keep the roster well-stocked around Zion.

Curry going to New Orleans is pretty dang hard to imagine, but in terms of actual basketball fit and the financial (or draft capital) implications of pursuing Curry, the Pels stand near the front of the line.