1 Blockbuster NBA Trade That Can Still Happen This Offseason

When LeBron James made his stunning move to the Philadelphia 76ers, it sparked a swath of reactions around the NBA world.

Perhaps the loudest among them were the alarm sirens sounded by the Golden State Warriors. Because once James settled on anyone but them—an apparently easy call, by the way—their hopes became perhaps irreparably damaged.

Not that adding James alone would've thrust the Warriors into the championship conversation, but at least folks would've had reason to talk about this team. Without James (or Jimmy Butler for the foreseeable future), the Warriors appear essentially irrelevant, which feels inexplicable and unforgivable for a team employing Stephen Curry.

Curry, in the words of The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II, "wants to win" and "wants a chance, a real chance, for a deep playoff run." For some, that will be all the fuel they need to sprint toward the nearest trade machine and torch Golden State's remaining asset collection for the best Curry co-star it can buy.

But maybe the Warriors can't offer what Curry really needs. Maybe his best NBA future resides in a different place than his NBA past and present.

To be clear, Golden State doesn't appear in immediate danger of losing Curry. This is much more of a thought exercise than a crystal ball-based prediction. But if winning drives his decision-making, this could be the right time to split from the only NBA squad he has known.

So, let's find him a new hoops home, shall we?

The Trade

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Boston Celtics receive: Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors receive: Paul George, Chris Cenac Jr., 2027 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick and 2032 first-round pick swap

Why the Boston Celtics Do It

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When Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens explained his rationale for the club's pennies-on-the-dollar return for All-NBA second-teamer Jaylen Brown, he cited the challenge of having "70 percent of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players."

But maybe Stevens' concern had less to do with the two-star setup than it did with Boston's particular two-star combo of Brown and Jayson Tatum. Perhaps Boston was done having so much money and so many touches tied up in Brown, a notion advanced stats would support with his career net differential of minus-1.3 points per 100 possessions.

And maybe, then, the Celtics would still be open to slotting a second star alongside Tatum, who, at 28 years old, should be in the heart of his championship-chasing prime. And maybe their analytics department would be wholly convinced of Curry's co-star credentials, given his colossal plus-9.9 career net differential.

This could be the kind of combo that not only breathes life back into Boston, but immediately gives it a real chance to escape the perpetually improving Eastern Conference.

Curry's gravitational pull could be just what Tatum needs to unleash the full powers of his potent isolation game. Conversely, Tatum's scoring punch and secondary playmaking could give Curry the kind of offensive support and relief Golden State has failed to provide him for years.

Not to mention, having a two-headed monster leading this charge would allow Derrick White to get back to his dot-connecting best as a tertiary option. If Payton Pritchard got squeezed out of a starting spot, he might immediately become the Sixth Man of the Year favorite. Boston's young wings could fully focus on being off-ball energizers. And Curry could absolutely cook with a couple of rim-rattling lob-finishers in Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson.

The Celtics surely want to maximize Tatum's prime years. And even if they love a lot of their support pieces, they also have to know it'll take something special to conquer this version of the Eastern Conference.

Capturing Curry just might meet that threshold.

Why the Golden State Warriors Do It

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A Warriors team without Curry at the franchise forefront sounds unrecognizable, doesn't it? Well, here's the thing: That day is coming regardless of how he and the team handle his twilight, and it's coming sooner rather than later.

In fact, Golden State could be sitting on the cusp of a top-to-bottom overhaul even without steering things into hypothetical-trade territory. Just four Warriors have fully guaranteed salaries for 2027-28: Moses Moody, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos and Will Richard. No one is officially on the books beyond that.

That's not due to a total lack of foresight. In fact, Golden State has arguably had too big a fixation on the future. Warriors governor Joe Lacob has a "fear of what life after Steph will be like," per The Ringer's Logan Murdock, and that fear "has been the biggest reason the team has opted not to exchange more future draft picks for immediate help."

Golden State, in a sense, wants to keep all of its options for the post-Curry era, which effectively forces it to accept mediocrity in the present-Curry era. But this plan also works against that post-Curry era, since his mere present prevents the kind of bottoming out that—prior to the latest lottery reform, at least—could have delivered some blue-chip prospects to the Bay Area.

The Warriors are on course to have a near-wiped-clean slate next summer. They'd cut into that with this blockbuster trade—Paul George holds a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28—but splitting from Curry might (and should) dial back the aggressiveness for 2027 free agency, anyway. Not to mention, free agency hasn't been the most fruitful place for meaningful additions under this collective bargaining agreement.

They'd still have a ton of money coming off the books next summer, and they'd have two extra first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and an intriguing prospect in Chris Cenac Jr. to help brighten their long-term outlook. So, they'd be flexible for win-now or win-soon splashes if they chose to go that route, but they'd also be equipped to take a much longer view for roster reconstruction.

Either way, they'd finally have a clear direction for the post-Curry years and more resources to help put that plan into action. And Curry, in turn, would have the chance to compete at a high level he so badly covets, plus the knowledge that he didn't leave his longtime employer high and dry.

Sentimentally, it'd be too painful to call this a win-win outcome, but objectively, this might make sense for the Warriors.