There’s crazy, and there’s just plain stupid.
Unfortunately for Roje Smith of Fansided, his recent work falls into that latter category. Smith recently published an article entitled 5 Crazy NBA Trades That Need To Happen. Without a doubt, the craziest (read: stupidest) trade proposal on the list has the Golden State Warriors sending reigning league MVP Steph Curry to Chicago for Rajon Rondo, Jerian Grant and a first round draft pick.
How ‘Bout No?
Perhaps he was just throwing random names into ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine and discovered that this one *technically* works from a contracts perspective.
Where to begin? First off, notice the estimated change in win total for both teams. The Bulls gain 12 wins by adding Curry, while the Warriors lose 11 wins by bringing in Rondo and Grant. Why on earth would Golden State make this trade? So there’s that.
A Weaker Curry
Smith tries to explain his reasoning for the Warriors agreeing to do this (seeing as the Bulls would leap at such a ridiculous opportunity, no explanation needed there.) He argues that the arrival of fellow superstar Kevin Durant has hurt Curry’s game this season.
“Curry is averaging 5.9 assists per game right now and that’s the lowest it’s been since the 2011-12 season. His three-point percentage sits at a .401 and that’s the lowest it’s been in his entire career. He was already an inferior overall player compared to Durant before this season. Now with KD as his teammate, it’s even more obvious and it appears as if a new ‘face’ of Golden State is emerging.” – Roje Smith
He goes on to suggest that other Warriors staples Klay Thompson and Draymond Green aren’t experiencing the same decline as Curry since Durant signed on.
“Klay Thompson hasn’t missed a beat since Kevin’s arrival and his numbers are nearly identical to last season’s. Only his three-point percentage is significantly down from last year and it’s actually a career-low at .389. Draymond Green also appears to be meshing well with Durant and his game hasn’t taken a major hit. Therefore, it leaves Curry as an odd man out.” – Roje Smith
Odd man out of what, exactly? Sure, Curry’s numbers are down a bit. But Smith tries to argue that the same isn’t true for Thompson, then immediately contradicts himself by citing that Klay’s three point percentage is also at a career low. Besides, it was expected that Curry’s numbers would dip with Durant on the team. Curry recruited Durant to come to Golden State, to take some of the scoring pressure off of the point guard. That’s exactly what Durant is doing for the *cough* NBA-leading Warriors.
Which leads me to this…WHY would the Warriors trade Curry while they’re trying to win another NBA title after coming so close to repeating last season?
