Warriors’ Joe Lacob Doesn’t Hold Back on Stephen Curry Trade Rumors

Joe Lacob has heard the speculation about Stephen Curry eventually leaving the Golden State Warriors. He has also heard enough.

The Warriors’ controlling owner dismissed the chatter as manufactured and expressed confidence that Curry will remain with the only NBA franchise he has known.

“I really can’t imagine a scenario where he’s going anywhere,” Lacob said Wednesday on Tim Kawakami’s The TK Show. “I think we’ll do what needs to be done.”

The timing is significant. Curry becomes eligible Aug. 29 to sign a two-year extension worth as much as $136.7 million, which could keep him under contract through the 2028-29 season.

No agreement has been reached, and Lacob stopped short of promising that Golden State would immediately make a maximum offer. He left little doubt about the organization’s larger position.

“I don’t want Steph to go anywhere,” Lacob said. “Steph loves it here. We love him here.”

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Mike Dunleavy Addresses Curry Trade Possibility

General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. told reporters Monday that Curry has given the organization no indication that his long-standing desire to retire with Golden State has changed.

“He hasn’t [said any different],” Dunleavy said. “That’s always been the message. That’s always been what he’s discussed. I think that’s tracking quite well.”

Dunleavy did acknowledge a hypothetical circumstance in which Curry could request a trade. Given Curry’s stature and everything he has accomplished for the franchise, the Warriors would listen even if they wanted a different outcome.

“Ultimately, it’s his call, his decision, whether that’s allowing his contract to run out and move on,” Dunleavy said. “Look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, Joe and I will talk it through. We wouldn’t love it. But he’s earned the right to do what he wants.”

Dunleavy immediately added that neither side is considering such a scenario.

“As far as the messaging or any idea that he’d be anywhere else, that’s not a thing we’re looking at or he’s looking at,” he said.

Curry, 38, is entering the final season of his contract at $62.6 million. Without an extension, he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

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Lacob Blasts Stephen Curry Exit Rumors

Lacob said formal extension talks have not begun because Curry’s eligibility date has not arrived. Once it does, Dunleavy, Curry’s representatives and the rest of Golden State’s leadership will discuss what each side wants.

Lacob’s measured description of the negotiations should not be confused with uncertainty about Curry’s future.

“This is just a clickbait thing from all these people that do this kind of thing these days,” Lacob said. “I don’t believe that any of that’s true.”

The speculation has grown after Golden State finished 37-45 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. The Warriors explored several major additions this offseason but could not complete a transformative move.

Lacob said he has never heard Curry express an interest in playing elsewhere. He pointed to Curry’s happiness within the organization, his family’s roots in the Bay Area and their close personal relationship.

“The idea that somehow we want him to go somewhere — we do not want Steph Curry to go anywhere,” Lacob said. “I just think people are completely making a bunch of crap up. It’s just totally not true.”

The contract must still be negotiated. The central question, however, does not sound unsettled inside Chase Center.

The Warriors want Curry to stay. Their star has not told them otherwise.

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