The Golden State Warriors reportedly risk losing Stephen Curry if they fail to make the playoffs in the 2026-27 season.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Curry — who has the option to be a free agent in 2027 — could consider leaving the Bay Area if he feels the Warriors don’t present him with an opportunity to pursue his fifth NBA championship ring.
“I don’t see it [Curry leaving], but never say never. We’ve seen stranger things in the league,” Amick told FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back” on Friday.
Amick floated the idea of Curry joining his hometown franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, if he ever chooses to depart from Golden State.
“I do think back to that funny moment a couple of months ago where Steph did an interview in Charlotte as part of his dad’s jersey retirement,” Amick recalled. “He had this funny comment to a local reporter where he said if he ever came back, he thinks his dad [Dell Curry] would let him wear his number [No. 3o] for Charlotte.”
“It was just a joke, but it was enough to go, ‘Damn. Okay.’ Again, it’s like Jaylen Brown — these guys are smart enough to know how some comments land with fans.”
Steph Curry, Warriors at a Crossroads
Amick, who has covered Curry closely for years, reckons the veteran sharpshooter is still hungry to win a fifth title and isn’t happy about being a fringe playoff team.
“If it’s [a] dire [situation]… Steph looks like he can play five more years.
“During that time, could I see him decide to try something different? Maybe go back home? Who knows?” wondered Amick.
The Warriors missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons this year after losing in the NBA play-in tournament.
Warriors Enter Key Offseason
The Warriors have a busy offseason ahead that includes deciding on the future of head coach Steve Kerr and addressing Kristaps Porzingis‘ free agency. Furthermore, key rotation players like Draymond Green, Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton all have player options on their expiring contracts.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Golden State’s No. 1 priority is to land a co-star to pair with Steph Curry, even more so than retaining their key free agents.
“Building a roster that can compete for a championship around a 38-year old franchise player in Curry,” Marks wrote of the Warriors’ No. 1 priority. “But can Golden State take a win-now approach and still build the roster for when Curry, [Jimmy] Butler and Green are no longer around? The delicate balancing act starts with Kerr.”
While Butler is expected to miss most of the 2026-27 season rehabbing from an ACL surgery, Moses Moody is also expected to miss the start of the new campaign after he tore his left patellar tendon earlier this year.
For what it’s worth, Steph Curry is eligible to sign a two-year $136.7M extension with the Warriors starting on August 29. If the four-time NBA champion doesn’t ink the extension, the rumors of him leaving Golden State next year will intensify. Cury turns 39 next March but is still playing at an elite level.
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