The Golden State Warriors may be entering the end of a golden era of success that’s included four NBA championships since 2015.
Much of that success is thanks to superstar guard Stephen Curry. But at 36 years old, Curry could be nearing the end of his playing career. It was with that knowledge in mind that one Western Conference executive recently pitched the idea of guard Dejounte Murray eventually replacing Curry on the Warriors.
The conversation took place with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
“Of all the guys they might be able to trade for, he is probably realistic because he does not make a ton of money and they could add him, put him in Chris Paul’s spot, give up two first-round picks and now you’ve gotten some defense in there, you’ve got another scorer in there, you have a guy who make some sense,” the Western Conference exec said.
“He’s 6-foot-5, he can guard three spots, he is an OK shooter and he won’t break your bank.”
During the 2023-24 regular season with the Atlanta Hawks, Murray averaged 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. He shot 45.9 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from deep. At 27 years old, he’s likely nearing his ceiling as a player in the league.
As for Curry, he put up 26.4 points, 4.5 boards and 5.1 assists per game during the regular season. He shot 45.0 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep.
Fans surely enjoyed seeing just how productive Curry was despite entering the back half of his 30s during the season.
The fact that Curry was more productive than Murray last season despite being nearly 10 years his senior certainly highlights that. Most would agree that Murray eventually replacing Curry in Golden State would likely be a drop-off. The NBA exec did not deny that.
“No one is gonna replace Steph,” the exec said. “But that team needs to look at everybody they might think of getting and ask, ‘Stephen Curry replacement?’ ‘Stephen Curry replacement?’ If you can bring in Murray, you’ve got a point guard for the next five or 10 years if you want him. That’s a start on replacing him.”
It’s an interesting approach, but it is likely one that the Warriors front office is not really thinking about at the moment. Curry proved that he was still one of the best in the league last season. Perhaps even more importantly, he also proved that he can withstand the wear and tear of the regular season despite his age.
He played in 74 regular season games in the 2023-24 regular season. It marked a season-high for him since the 2016-17 season.
Beyond that, Curry is currently signed through the 2025-26 season. He’s set to make an average of about $57 million per season over the next two years.
