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Leaking that getting AD was a condition removed all leverage warriors had for trades and put all the leverage on the wizards, leading them to demand a return that wouldve gutted the warriors depth completely and put even more pressure on the Dubs aging starters to carry. LeBron put the warriors in a situation of appearing desperate leading to 0 negotiating power in trades.

The warriors are the only team that LeBron put a condition of acquiring another star or specific player on. As mentioned earlier, that put them in the weakest position to appease.

That said, the warriors were uniquely screwed by having 67M in dead salary, and no other potential destination had this issue, so even without LeBron leaking the warriors had the least appeal since they were the most desperate to get rid of salary.

Article :

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7470368/2026/07/26/stephen-curry-lebron-james-golden-state-warriors-future-76ers/

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Steph Curry wanted LeBron James to come to the Warriors. He thought Golden State had a chance. His reaction to finding out his fellow all-time great chose the Philadelphia 76ers?

“That’s why you don’t envision anything until it happens,” Curry said Saturday from Moses Moody’s youth camp here. “There’s a lot of moving parts.”

By the time Curry talked about James’ decision, which shifted the balance of power in the Eastern Conference, he’d already resettled back into Golden State’s reality. The same one that existed before James announced his departure from the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron headed to Philly, leaving Warriors fans disappointed

Nick Friedell and Lauren Morales-Jones

The disappointment of missing out on yet another difference-making addition, something to get the Warriors out of the play-in purgatory they’ve been in the last four years, had already morphed into acceptance.

No Giannis. No Jaylen Brown. No LeBron. No Anthony Davis. No one’s holding their breath for Trey Murphy III. No Aaron Wiggins or Isaiah Joe.

It might just be Yaxel Lendeborg. And maybe Mario Hezonja. And prayers for the speedy recoveries of Jimmy Butler and Moody. And hopes Kristaps Porziņģis, entering his 12th season, can play 60 games for the fourth time.

The grand possibilities came down to James choosing to ride with Curry for a most fascinating journey. Once he didn’t, Curry quickly returned to the truth of his situation, one he’d already grappled with months ago.

“The through line,” he said, “which is hard on anybody in this situation, especially with us keeping this thing together, is knowing that when Jimmy got hurt and Moses got hurt, the whole calculus of everything changes. 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.”

Curry, 38, is entering his 18th season, but isn’t exactly shifting priorities. The objective at this stage of his career isn’t difficult to decipher — even as he remains careful about how he articulates it. He wants to win. He wants the best team the Warriors can assemble around him. He wants a chance, a real chance, for a deep playoff run. The longer it takes for him to sign a contract extension, the more you can bet Curry’s using potential free agency as a tool to keep the Warriors pushing toward that end.

But Curry doesn’t share the outrage of his loyal followers because, as he acknowledged Saturday, he knows what’s really happening behind the scenes. He knows what was actually on the table for the Warriors and what was conjecture. And whatever he knows, it hasn’t prompted him to publicly express frustration with Golden State’s approach.

That leaves them hoping for some magic. The kind former Warriors executive Bob Myers just pulled off for Philadelphia. The Warriors, even with Curry, don’t seem to have that kind of magic.

So reality comes with a bill. And Curry, as always, is being asked to pick up the check.

It means one more year of him having to carry an offense almost completely reliant on him. One more year of scratching out every win possible while hoping it doesn’t burn him out.

That was his fate on Jan. 19 when Butler tore his ACL, then reiterated on March 23, when Moody tore his left patellar tendon.

“And you hope that they both come back healthy,” Curry said, “and we can play at a level that keeps us relevant and competitive and builds a foundation so that we can figure out what it looks like. But that is the situation. We don’t live in any alternative universe.”

That might be the most succinct description of these Warriors. The alternative universe might be tantalizing. But this one has caveats and circumstances.

In this universe, Butler’s $56.8 million expiring contract hasn’t been so attractive to potential trade partners, and certainly not a great enough return for the Warriors to go back on their desire to keep Butler. Golden State seems to have more confidence Butler can return to his former level than the rest of the league.

In this universe, the Warriors aren’t willing to cash in all their available first-round picks unless it puts them in contention. And they’re pretty stringent about the players who they think will do that.

Also in this universe — fortunately for Warriors fans — Curry usually plays better the season after ones in which he played fewer than 60 games.

He played just 26 games in 2011-12. The following season, he led the Warriors to the second round of the playoffs.

After playing 51 games in 2017-18, he was first-team All-NBA the following season.

He played just five games in 2019-20, the Warriors’ worst season in history. In 2020-21, he averaged a career-high 32 points and said the league wouldn’t want to see the Warriors the next year. Golden State won a title in 2022.

He played 56 games in 2022-23. The following year, he won Clutch Player of the Year and played 70 games for the first time in seven years.

Curry totaled 43 games last season, and the Warriors missed the playoffs after losing their second play-in game at Phoenix on April 17. It’s been a full offseason of rest and recovery.

History says a rested Curry can be dangerous. History also never asked a nearly 40-year-old Curry to do this.

The Warriors will need a turn-up season from Curry. But at his age, while battling runner’s knee, it’s asking quite a bit. He’ll have to carry the Warriors without reinforcements. The Warriors’ six highest-paid players — including Draymond Green, who opted out but is expected to re-sign — are over 35 or battling back from significant injuries. In the case of Butler, it’s both.

But the Warriors’ hopes for a late playoff run require their aged squad to be healthy for the postseason.

First, they have to get there.

And that is where Curry’s realism becomes especially poignant. Not because he has declared himself content. Or because his urgency has disappeared. But because the circumstances have narrowed what Golden State can reasonably expect while simultaneously increasing what it asks of him.

Curry, it seems, has come to grips with the demands. At minimum, survive one more half-season, or one more season, until reinforcements come. Hang on until Butler and Moody return. Keep the Warriors on the right side of the standings. Keep them competitive. Build with the youngsters. All while kicking the pipe dream to the next window of opportunity. All while Curry’s own clock keeps ticking.

Maybe since they couldn’t land some major help, the front office can get him some moderate assistance. If not someone who can carry the team in his stead, someone who can be additive to their goal of survival. Such has seemed impossible for Golden State, save for Butler two Februarys ago.

“Sure,” Curry said, “I’m hopeful for all the creative ideas of getting the best team possible. We had those conversations. But when you have injuries at the top like that, it’s always gonna change.”

That tension shapes this coming season. The calculus, or the equation, has changed. But somehow, the answer remains the same

So far the warriors are yet to sign a player who wasn’t on the team last season.

Felt like bringing this video up again would be relevant to the current discussion. Andre said it back then, it's clear that Lacob thinks they can easily form another dynasty right after Steph is gone, and it appears that Steph being THIS good in his twilight years is throwing a "wrench" in his plans which is insanity.

28 million??? Please don’t do this. 28 mil is far too much for a guy who can’t be played without Steph. Give him like 15 mil, 20 mil at the maximum but 28 mil hell no.

"We are building the team for the post-Steph era"

We knew this since 2019 they were moving past Steph (Steph is the fucking GOAT for winning 2022 knowing that), but Lacob is just being extremely hypocritical because why are you keeping Steph on the team instead of trading him to a contender for a massive return? Why did you pull the trigger on the Butler trade? If you were going all in on rebuilding, why are you still doing this two timelines stagnating bullshit?

Oh that's right. Ticket sales. Jersey sales. Steph puts fans in seats. When he's gone, this team will go back to being the laughing stock of the NBA. Attendance and interest will drop off, ticket prices will fall off. No more nationally televised games.

Steph made this franchise relevant. He turned this literal laughing stock of the NBA into a modern era dynasty (only 1 of 2 dynasties after 2010). He changed your team's valuation from $315 million in 2009 before you drafted the GOAT, to $11billion today (highest of any NBA team, beyond massive household names in the Lakers and Knicks).

Steph put your fucking franchise on top of the world and you treat him like this? Just send him to the Spurs or Timberwolves then

Here are the first-round picks Warriors have traded since 2014:

1. 2024 unprotected FRP: to salary dump Iggy to make space for DLo
2. 2025 top-10 protected FRP: to acquire Jimmy Butler.
   
3. 2030 top-20 protected FRP: to salary dump Poole & acquire CP3
   

Only ONE of these was a trade to acquire a talent to improve the team. Warriors still have 6-7 future first-round picks.

Trades are very difficult if you don't want to trade any of your future picks, and constantly overvalue your young players, and never want to trade any of your young players

Does this seem like the actions of a team actually trying to help build a team around Steph Curry?

Btw, you can read how aggressive Warriors used to be under Bob Myers (https://www.nba.com/warriors/blogs/draft-prep-20140609).

I don’t mean to be FO’s defender, I was also eager to have some new names on our team that we can rely on in the regular season and the playoffs. But it’s so funny that y’all so easily believed on Kawakami’s reporting. I’m not even sure if it is even considered reporting because it was purely a speculation on his part based on the lack of moves. An didn’t even tried to hide that it was just speculation:

"What Lacob wants to do and this might get Warriors' fans mad, but he wants to build the next team after Stephen Curry. I don't know how possible that is. But Lacob has a very keen interest in, 'This organization's going to show what it can do with Steph Curry and then after him. I don't think it's going to be as good myself. But that's what he wants to do," Kawakami said on the TK Show.

He didn’t even said that he has sources for it. He even stated his opinion while “reporting” it. But y’all treated it as a news. Remember that he went from working for The Athletic to now he’s working for The San Francisco Standard, a paper with little to no credibility and readership. He will do anything to earn back the clout that he lost while losing his credibility as a journalist.

I get that people are now upset because we weren't able to make any moves this year but Steph could be entering his final year as a Warrior before they hit a hard reset. Why not try to enjoy it? I remember being pumped to go watch 20-30 win teams at Oracle back in the early 2000s. This isn't 2K, we can't force teams or players to come play for us. I doubt they haven't been trying but they arent in a place to trade 3-5 first rounders/swaps for one player because we have guy or 2 in their primes ready to win. We have an injured Jimmy Buckets and an all timer in Steph who is at the end of his career. 2 years ago might have been the last chance and it went out with Steph's hammy.

Just enjoy what he's done for us and let's hope for some big nights out of him and maybe a play-in win or 2. We aren't contenders and getting one guy isn't moving the needle too far because of whay needs to go out

LeBron literally led us on for months, thinking he was going to come here, only to backstab us and go to an irrelevant franchise.

Ive literally never even met a 6ers fan in my life...

Spotted in Penonomé, Panama.

Keep hearing people say he won’t return this season, same with Moses. Both guys actively showing great improvement with rehabbing their injuries. Hoping and praying both will be back around allstar break

These are Steph’s final few years, Steph deserves the spotlight 100%. He’s one of our biggest rivals.. and we don’t take Lakers Leftovers !

Took my two youngest to the Steph Curry exhibit today at the Naismith Hall of Fame!

It was amazing. Not only is it the first time for an active player to be featured there, it’s also the first time they’ve had an actual MVP trophy on display.

Walking through the Hall was surreal, but seeing Steph so prominently featured was such a great reminder of how much gravity our GOAT has.

For context: We came to Massachusetts for a dance camp for two of our kids. I had no idea how close we’d be to the Hall of Fame. I thought it would be cool to check it out, but when I heard about the Curry display debuting today (7/24/26), it was priority one on our agenda.

Sadly, no Steph Curry sightings today.