Stephen Curry Reacts To LeBron James’ Free Agency Decision

While the chance to join forces with Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr was enough to make Golden State a finalist in James’ decision, doubts about the team’s chances to compete for a title caused him to focus more on other teams and ultimately wind up in Philadelphia. Appearing Saturday at a youth basketball camp run by teammate Moses Moody, Curry made his first public comments since James announced his decision on Friday, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

“That’s why you don’t envision anything until it happens,” Curry said. “There’s a lot of moving parts.”

It’s the latest in a string of disappointments for the Warriors in their efforts to find another star to team with Curry in the late stage of his career. They’ve reportedly attempted to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown and others, but their only success was landing Jimmy Butler, who’s expected to miss at least half of the 2026/27 season while he recovers from an ACL tear in his right knee.

Moody is also sidelined indefinitely with a torn patellar tendon, as Thompson notes that once Green re-signs, the team’s six highest-paid players will either be over 35 or recovering from serious injuries. That’s a daunting reality for an organization that’s hoping to remain competitive in a tough Western Conference.

“The through line,” Curry said, “which is hard on anybody in this situation, especially with us keeping this thing together, is knowing that when Jimmy got hurt and Moses got hurt, the whole calculus of everything changes. How do you get through their absence and still stay at a certain level? And then how that goes into this year. It’s the same deal. So I’m a realist on that.”

While it’s hard to imagine Curry ever playing anywhere else, Thompson points out that he does have an expiring $62.6MM contract that gives him an opportunity to put pressure on management to remain aggressive about trying to upgrade the roster. At 38, Curry doesn’t want to end his brilliant career on a mediocre team, which is a concern with Golden State coming off a 37-45 season and a loss in the play-in tournament.

Part of the reason for that decline was a runner’s knee condition that affected Curry late in the season and contributed to him only being available for 43 games. It looks like he’ll be needed to carry the offense again, at least until Butler and Moody return, which is a lot of ask of a player entering his 18th season.

“You hope that they both come back healthy,” Curry said, “and we can play at a level that keeps us relevant and competitive and builds a foundation so that we can figure out what it looks like. But that is the situation. We don’t live in any alternative universe.”