Stephen Curry Sends Message To Warriors Front Office, He Won’t Accept An Average Team

After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-115, Stephen Curry spoke after the game and made his expectations clear. He told reporters that anyone who expects him to be happy being on an average team doesn't know him well enough at all. This was Curry's way of sending a message to the Warriors front office.

Reporter: "You're obviously aware of what has been a national talking point over the last couple of days. Does that provide any extra motivation?"

Stephen Curry: "Not at all. I'm always motivated to compete, try to win, and do my job. When you're in a situation like our organization is in, where everything is rightfully compared to that championship expectation, everything is being micro-analyzed..."

"You forget the part when we talk about how we're always trying to get better. What does that actually mean? It's obviously not our job to worry about that on a day-to-day basis. These three weeks before the trade deadline, our job is to win as many games as possible. Thankfully, we got one tonight."

Reporter: "Steve mentioned that he felt like the narrative would become that you guys were waiving the white flag. Were you surprised that's how it was taken, and is there any clarification you want to give on that aspect?"

Curry: "Anybody who thinks I'm OK with being on an average basketball team is insane. Take whatever I said, I still stand on it. But that doesn't mean you're not in a situation where you're trying to get better and make appropriate moves that help you do that. Mike [Dunleavy Jr.] knows that, we talk about it."

"That's the expectation from me trying to help lead the team where we want to go. Again, that doesn't mean that you're reckless. What people's definition of that is that... Trade machines are fun, but that's not actually what it looks like. We're going to handle our business, Mike is going to handle his, and we'll see where we end up."

There had been a lot of chatter about the Golden State Warriors waving the white flag after what has been a very difficult first half of the season. But Curry wanted to dispel that notion, showing that he still has his competitive fire burning, and wants to play at the highest level and compete for the richest prizes in the NBA.

That's not all Stephen Curry had to say, as he also spoke to ESPN right after the Warriors won their game. He called out fans, analysts, and critics who kept urging and demanding that the Warriors make a trade soon to save their season, and added that he and the current group of Warriors players want to compete at the highest level and are very confident in their ability to do so.

“All the Twitter fingers who got deals we need to make can kind of shut up a little bit and let us figure this thing out. We know we can be competitive. We showed that toughness tonight. Every team is trying to find ways to get better."

"For us, we've been great for a very long time, this is just a unique year where we have to be able to stay relevant and give ourselves a chance, just have some life in a playoff series. We have a whole lot of confidence that we can beat anybody.”

With the frustration that Curry expressed in his post-game comments, fans might worry if the former MVP wants a move out of Golden State. Well, fear not DubNation, as Steve Kerr stated that he doesn't expect Curry to ever demand a trade, and remain a Warrior for life.

Steve Kerr Doubles Down On Not Giving Up

After the game, Steve Kerr also spoke about the Warriors' future. He noted that while the road ahead is challenging, he doesn't want there to be any misconception about the Warriors fighting like hell in every game to try and stay competitive.

Much like Curry, he rebuffed the notion that the Warriors are waving the white flag but did stress that the franchise must make the best decision for both their short and long-term future. Kerr added that tonight's win, much like the rest of the season, was a sign of the fight the Warriors have in them, and that he's glad to see them earn a tough win.

Reporter: "There were a lot of bigger-picture conversations about you guys over the last two days. I don't know how much of it was seen or not seen. Do you feel that was maybe part of the charge you had tonight, particularly Steph, who seemed to have some extra juice?"

Steve Kerr: "We didn't talk about it as a team. We're used to being in the spotlight. If there's a story about our team, it's going to go everywhere and everyone is going to talk about it. I hope there’s not a misconception that we are not fighting and scrapping and doing everything possible to keep this going."

"It almost feels like the narrative became 'The Warriors are giving in'. We are not giving in. We’re just not gonna give away the future. Two totally different things. We're fighting, you see that we have been competitive all year, we've had a few blowouts. But for the most part, our guys are competing like crazy, they play so hard every night. It's just really nice to see them get rewarded because it's a great group of guys."

In fairness to Kerr, he has defended the team's lack of activity on the trade front, noting that sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all. But given the Warriors' struggles this season, especially with consistency, it might be time for them to actually do something.

What Should The Warriors Do?

The Warriors have seemingly passed on the opportunity to trade for Jimmy Butler, despite being heavily linked to him in the past few months. It appears Butler's demand for a big contract next season has caused them to walk away from any such deal.

Strange as it is to say, one of the Warriors' weakest points is their center position, or more specifically, the production they receive from their players in those positions. Ideally, they need a stretch five who can shoot the ball from deep and open up the team's spacing. We came up with three options that they should try and pursue before the deadline.

Perhaps this desire for a stretch five is why the Warriors are interested in bringing in Nikola Vucevic from the Bulls. And given that the Bulls might be willing to settle for a few second-round picks only works in their favor.

But what if the Warriors decided to do something spectacular? In that case, perhaps a reunion with one of their greatest stars might be what is needed. Fadeaway World pitched a bombshell mock trade that would send Kevin Durant back to Golden State, in which the Warriors would give up five players and two precious first-round picks.

While those picks are something Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. is trying to protect to safeguard the franchise's future, some fans might feel that it is worth sacrificing them to give the team their best chance at extending the Warriors' dynasty and winning an unprecedented (for the modern era) fifth NBA championship in 10 years.

The Warriors have some big decisions to make. As things stand, their chances of reaching the NBA playoffs are slim. But with a big trade, they could have a new lease on life in the Western Conference. Keep an eye on Golden State as we approach the final few weeks before the trade deadline.