The Rookie-Scale Hack: Why the Spurs should get Steph Curry

[ad_1]

It appears that the Golden State Warriors dynasty is coming to a close. The team has lost 19 of its last 28 games, many of those defeats coming with Stephen Curry in uniform, and now sits under .500. It’s an unthinkable collapse for a championship organization considering that Curry is still a top-10 player in the league by many advanced metrics. As our own Kevin O’Connor outlined this week, it might be time for Curry and the Warriors to part ways just as Paul Pierce and the Celtics did back in 2013, a tough decision that successfully laid down the next championship foundation for Boston.

If Curry were on the trade block, there’s no shortage of teams that, in theory, would be interested in adding the greatest shooter who ever lived. Who wouldn’t? But with this new collective bargaining agreement and the trade restrictions it sewed for many teams in title pursuits, Curry’s contract will likely prove to be too onerous. The 36-year-old is owed $55.8 million this season, $59.6 million in 2025-26 and $62.6 million in 2026-27 — currently the most expensive contract in the sport on an annual basis.

The San Antonio Spurs, however, should consider that a bargain.

Spurs president R.C. Buford and the whole organization should do everything they can to acquire Curry. Skeptics might say it’s too soon for second-year phenom Victor Wembanyama, who is still playing on his rookie-scale contract.

But that’s precisely why you trade for Curry. Wemby’s four-year, rookie-scale contract is a roster-building cheat code. It provides a golden window of opportunity. Past teams recognized the hack in the system and leveraged it into championships. The Spurs should do the same while Wemby is healthy and dominating.

Said one longtime GM: “In this league, you never have as much time as you think you have.”

It’s not too early for Wembanyama and the Spurs. Early is the whole idea.

The Spurs have a golden opportunity. (Photo by Loren Elliott / AFP)

The Wemby window

Before Jimmy Butler, before LeBron James, there was Shaquille O’Neal. It was the summer of 2004 when Heat team president Pat Riley found out that the Lakers’…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/the-rookie-scale-hack-why-the-spurs-should-get-steph-curry-172742545.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-23 17:27:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.