Stephen Curry faces unique sacrifice with Warriors, a fate Kevin Durant avoided

But former ESPN analyst David Jacoby thinks the 2022 championship will be the last ring Curry wins.

He believes Curry chose loyalty over competition, in contrast to Kevin Durant.

“I love the guys that stay at one place their entire career and feel like Steph is going to be one of those guys. And I think he will sacrifice his ability to win another championship or go to the finals to st ay in a Warriors jersey for his career,” Jacoby explained.

“You know who’s not going to do that? Kevin Durant who just joined a two seed. And they clearly got better on paper because they’re a young team and everyone’s going to take a leap next year.”

“The Rockets are better than they were last year and they went toe-to-toe with the Warriors in game seven,” he added, suggesting the San Francisco team faces a decline in competitiveness.

Kevin Durant’s title hopes reignite with the Houston Rockets

Kevin Durant walked away from Golden State in 2019 with two rings and a pair of Finals MVP trophies, but he has not been back to the championship stage since.

The move to Houston has given him fresh hope, joining a young Rockets side that is deep and full of potential.

Last season, the Warriors needed seven games to get past them, even though the Rockets were still raw. Another year under their belt could make a real difference if they meet again.

The Warriors have some roster issues to sort out before they can think about another deep run.

They need to address Jonathan Kuminga’s contract and find veteran players who can support an ageing core group.

If they manage to get those pieces in place, any future playoff clash between Durant’s Rockets and Curry’s Warriors would be one worth watching.