A Stephen Curry trade out of Golden State? Don’t count on it, but never say never.

Back in May 2013, before both of Stephen Curry’s MVPs, before he had shattered the all-time three-point shooting record, and before all four NBA Titles that Curry led the Golden State Warriors to, Bill Simmons wrote in his annual trade value column that, “The Golden Gate Bridge has a better chance of being traded than Steph Curry.” Now, with four rings, nearly 4,000 three-pointers, and countless memories, it’s even harder to imagine Stephen Curry ever requesting a trade away from Golden State, or the Warriors pulling the trigger on a deal.

But for a moment, let’s speak hypothetically, and imagine a scenario in which Curry is the last man standing in Golden State. By that, I mean no Klay Thompson (already a reality, as Klay is on his way to Dallas), no Draymond Green (much easier to imagine given the fact that Draymond’s time with the Warriors hasn’t exactly been drama-free), and no Steve Kerr (he signed a two-year extension in February, but he is 58 and there have already been rumors that he’s “burnt out.”) In that scenario, would Curry potentially ask out of Golden State? The Ringer’s Ryen Russillo wondered the same thing, posing the question to Warriors inside Anthony Slater on a recent episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast. 

“Would it be like a Kevin Garnett deal, where Garnett wanted out for a little while, but didn’t want to be that guy, so they basically did it in the nicest way possible,” Russillo asked Slater. Slater would go on to cite two recent examples of players who remained with one franchise for the duration of their career — Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant — as models for why Curry would likely never ask out of Golden State.

“I don’t think so. I think you mentioned it like the Warriors wanting it to be a Kobe-like run, and I think Steph does. I think Steph like really values what he is to the Bay Area, and what his career will mean. I go to Mavericks games, and Dirk Nowitzki is sitting over there court-side,” Slater said. “The Warriors were there when they retired 8 and 24 for Kobe, the Warriors were there for that night also.”

But just because Stephen Curry loves the Bay Area, has started a family in the Bay Area, and has built a remarkable legacy and large fan base in the Bay Area, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get frustrated with what is going on behind the scenes within the Golden State Warriors organization.

© Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY SportsStephen Curry’s growing frustration with the Warriors 

Given the fact that his Splash Brother Klay Thompson is now off to Dallas, and the rest of the Warriors roster is not exactly in the best shape, you couldn’t hold it against Stephen Curry if he wasn’t putting the squeeze on the Warriors front office behind the scenes. According to Anthony Slater, Curry and the Warriors brass have kept an open line of communication throughout the years, allowing the two-time MVP to weigh in on personnel decisions.

“Now like does he get frustrated with moves and non-moves? The other thing, and you do talk to him you know even off to the side like he’s privy to these conversations, like he keeps him in the loop Mike Dunleavy and him are very communicative. I remember at the deadline last year leading up to it, you could tell he kind of wanted something to get done but then talking to him afterward he’s like, ‘Look, I know what was on the table like I’m not going to sit here and you know make a big stink about it because I know what we could and couldn’t have done.’”

Stephen Curry is not the first or only star player to grow frustrated with the actions (or inactions) of his team’s front-office personnel, and to be fair, most star players don’t handle it with as much grace and respect as Curry does. Case in point: when have you heard about there being a serious rift between Stephen Curry and the Dubs? Even with Klay Thompson heading to Dallas, have we heard a peep from Steph Curry?

We haven’t, and that’s not because the Warriors have always done right by him. Curry is one of the most easy-going, put-together, and committed superstars in NBA history. A true one-of-one in terms of his demeanor AND his style of play. A lifelong Golden State Warrior.