Stephen Curry could have one last opportunity to win an NBA title, though it requires one key move.
Every so often, there’s a changing of eras in the NBA. One dominant group of players is being ushered out of the league and a new crop of talents begins to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Right now, marquee players like Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant are looking to cap off their remarkable careers with one final NBA championship victory.
However, those players are each on mediocre Western Conference squads without much hope of being a true contender on their respective teams. Could that change, or will any of the players switch teams to land in a championship position? Curry is pitched to make a massive career move that emulates one of the early 2000s era.
With the ushering in of a new era, there is one key candidate to be the next best player in the league — that being 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama. The French superstar has taken a clear leap from year one to year two in the NBA.
Now, with Wembanyama proving to be a superstar, the San Antonio Spurs can look to rapidly build a contending squad while the French center is on a cheaper deal. Tom Haberstroh took to “The Kevin O’Conner Show” to break down why he thinks the Spurs should trade for Curry and pair the two.
“The rookie scale hack is something that no one is talking about, but they absolutely should,” Haberstroh said. “The fact that Victor Wembanyama is going to be paid like a less than a mid-level exception over the next two and a half years, is why you make a deal for Steph Curry, because his deal is exactly lock step with Victor Wembanyama’s rookie scale contract.
“I’m getting the best shooter ever paired with what might be the best defender ever.”
This move would certainly shake up the NBA landscape. It would be two different era colliding and the Spurs would automatically become one of the most intriguing teams in the entire NBA.
Back in the day when the Miami Heat were looking to capture a title, they had an emerging star in Dwyane Wade, who had a stellar rookie season. Pat Riley, the club’s executive, made a decision to trade for Shaquille O’Neal, who had recently been a dominant player.
It paid off and it was affordable because Wade was on his rookie-scale contract. The two were able to capture a championship together.
“Look at Dwayne Wade in 2004 when Pat Riley had the opportunity to get Shaq, he didn’t think twice, he said, ‘Go get me Shaq, he’s two years removed for being a Finals MVP, and he’s gonna be a guy that we can build right next to Dwayne Wade, who was finishing up a great rookie season,’” Haberstroh said.
“Two years later, he’s the Finals MVP, and it’s all because of that rookie scale contract.”
The Spurs, right now, can try and make a move and capitalize on Wembanyama’s contract before he lands a max extension and there begins to be salary cap implications.
“Right now the Spurs have a window… do it before it’s too late,” Haberstroh continued.
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