Report: Warriors Refuse To Trade For Steph Curry’s Potential Co-Star Before NBA Draft

The Golden State Warriors were adamant about trading for a potential co-star of Steph Curry before the NBA Draft last month. 

According to NBA insider Anthony Slater of ESPN, the Warriors got a call from the Boston Celtics about possibly trading for Jaylen Brown. However, the Warriors refused to do the deal, which would have included their first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft that became Yaxel Lendeborg. 

“Several days prior, the Boston Celtics called the Warriors about Brown near the draft, league sources said,” Slater reported, “testing Golden State’s temperature about a trade for four first-round picks and another first-round swap in an effort to beef up the Celtics’ own offer to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo.”

“The Warriors balked at the price and idea, which would’ve included parting with the No. 11 pick later used on Lendeborg, team sources said,” the report reads. 

Golden State Warriors Had Conversations For Jaylen Brown Before The NBA Draft

GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors talks with Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics after their game at Chase Center on January 20, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Slater also described the conversation between the Warriors and the Celtics. However, he noted that it only happened once and they got the chance to re-engage. 

“The dialogue was casual and the sides never reengaged. The Celtics ended up trading Brown for two first-round picks and Paul George, a wing able to help the Celtics compete immediately as opposed to the rehabbing Butler, perhaps setting in motion Philadelphia’s acquisition of James,” he said. 

If the move came through, the Warriors would have added Brown to an aging core led by Curry, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, and 40-year-old center Al Horford, his former teammate with the Celtics. 

Adding Brown could have also prevented the Philadelphia 76ers from signing LeBron James in a two-year, $8 million deal. Brown was traded to the 76ers and was seen as the move that helped Philly be on James’ radar, considering that the four-time NBA champion wants to play with a championship-level roster. 

Jimmy Butler, who is considered to be Curry’s biggest co-star, is still recovering from a torn ACL and will only return to action early in 2027. 

The Warriors are now poised to play with the same roster as last season, when they only won 37 games and finished 10th in the Western Conference. 

NBA Analyst Pleads With The Warriors To Not Take Steph Curry For Granted

GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 19: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he had an assist to Gary Payton II #0 in the third quarter of their game against the Miami Heat at Chase Center on January 19, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

An NBA analyst from ESPN does not want to see the final NBA years of Steph Curry be wasted with a lackluster roster.

In the Hoop Collective podcast hosted by NBA insider Brian Windhorst, ESPN analyst Vince Goodwill pleaded with the Warriors not to take Curry for granted, considering that he will turn 39 years old next season. 

“This whole two-timeline garbage that [the Warriors] were trying to pull off, like that’s where all of this sort of stems from is ‘We’re trying to ahead of Steph Curry’ as opposed to ‘Hey man, let’s see if we can maximize and make the best of this,’” Goodwill said. 

“Steph has never really threatened to go anywhere and the Warriors know that and that’s why they’ve been able to do the things that they’ve been doing,” he said. “If Steph kicked it a completely different way, then we would be having different conversations. I think this is the first salvo of ‘Hey, don’t take me for granted here.’”

Curry is expected to remain with the Warriors until he finally hangs it up. Until then, everyone expects the Warriors to try to make a splash. 

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