Before Friday's news conference introducing Stephen Curry, word had circulated that the Golden State Warriors' trade talks with the Phoenix Suns regarding All-Star power forward Amare Stoudemire were being held up by Curry.
The issue? The Warriors wanted to keep him, and the Suns insisted he be part of the deal leaving the status of the seventh pick in Thursday's NBA draft up in the air. But when asked whether the Warriors would let Curry get away, coach Don Nelson had an answer ready.
"No," Nelson said. "I should be clear about that. He wasn't drafted for somebody else. He is not going to be traded. He was drafted because we think he is going to be a terrific player, and he's going to be right here. So he can unpack his bags, he can relax, go buy a house because he ain't goin' anyplace."
The Warriors' refusal to include Curry in the trade probably has killed the chance to acquire Stoudemire. The Warriors are willing to give up center Andris Biedrins, forward Brandan Wright, guard Marco Belinelli and maybe even swingman Kelenna Azubuike. But not Curry.
Curry was a major part of what the Suns wanted. Reports out of Phoenix were that the Suns celebrated in the war room when Curry fell to the Warriors . The initial talk was that no Curry meant no deal for Phoenix. But the Arizona Republic is reporting that Phoenix is still willing to talk to the Warriors and other teams about trading Stoudemire, though the Warriors' chances decrease significantly without Curry in the mix.
The Warriors are content with not getting Stoudemire, according to two team sources, if getting him would mean losing Curry.
General Manager Larry Riley said during the news conference that, per the Warriors' estimation, Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin was the top player in the draft and Curry was second.
If the Warriors fail to land Stoudemire, they might make an offer to Toronto for All-Star power forward Chris Bosh or to Utah for power forward Carlos Boozer.
Curry might have given the Warriors the out they needed. Stoudemire probably would have required the maximum extension, which would have put the Warriors on the hook for five years and more than $95 million, including the two years and $34 million Stoudemire has left. Stoudemire has had two microfracture surgeries and a serious eye injury that sidelined him for of a significant chunk of last season.
The fan reaction about Stoudemire based on blog comments and fan forums was divided, presumably for the aforementioned reasons. But the reaction to the drafting of Curry has been closer to a home run from the fans' perspective.
From Warriors management's perspective, it was a grand slam. That's why he's staying.
