The Free Falling Warriors Need To Trade Steph Curry Before It's Too Late

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The Golden State Warriors feel like they are at a crossroads. They started off red hot this season but have since gone on to lose 6 of their last 8 games. They even benched Draymond Green this past weekend. It did not go well.

SOURCE - The slumping Golden State Warriors made a lineup change by starting Jonathan Kuminga and bringing Draymond Green off the bench against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Coach Steve Kerr said he wants to give this starting lineup change "a look" and see how it goes. In the first game with this change, the Warriors were routed 107-90 by the Timberwolves at the Chase Center.

A report also dropped that said they are looking to add another major piece for Curry.

This seems so wrong to me. I blogged about this last spring. 

Consider this not just a double down, but a triple one. The lugnuts getting looser this season on the bus should tell the Warriors it's even more important to rebuild than before. This Golden State Warriors team will not win the NBA Finals. Both the Celtics and Thunder are not only better positioned this season, but for years to come. If you are reading this, do you honestly believe the Warriors are serious title contenders? They didn't even get past the play-in game last year.

The Warriors need to ask themselves what they are trying to accomplish. Is it just making the playoffs and playing these next 2-4 seasons as some sort of grand farewell to Curry? I can't imagine fans would want that. The way to get competitive for the future is to move the 36 year old point guard while he's still very good.

I always lean back on how Danny Ainge learned from the mistakes of the late 80's/early 90's Celtics that just allowed Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to just get old and leave the team with nothing in return. When Ainge became a GM, he traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Those deals allowed the Celtics to get in position to draft Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The franchise needed a reset. 

The Warriors need that same courage to make a tough call. The good news is that the Warriors have a nice base with players like Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski. Imagine being able to restock this roster with draft picks from a Curry trade? How many firsts could you get for Curry? 2? 3? Would a desperate team consider 4 firsts?

Time remains undefeated. Other than Lebron, there are not many non-center basketball players that have even been good in their age 40 seasons. Reggie Miller and Ray Allen were both out of the NBA. Vince Carter was averaging 8 PPG. 

Maybe the best possible example is John Stockton who did average 11 points and 8 assists in his final season at 40. As great he was, it's not like that Jazz team was competing seriously for a title. They got knocked out in the first round. That's also the best guard example over 40 by a mile.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think the Warriors will trade Steph Curry. I simply think they should. Holding on to him on teams that won't be seriously competitive is a waste. It's not fun trading these legends away. But when the alternative is a less resourceful future, it's the best path forward.