Steph Curry has been tipped to leave the Golden State Warriors in a blockbuster trade. One proposal sends the four-time champion to the Houston Rockets.
The deal is far from done, and there is no sign of it being close. But with Curry approaching an extension and the Warriors running it back, the speculation is growing.
SI’s Eric Jay Santos believes Houston could land him for Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, JD Davison and draft compensation.
Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty ImagesThe $172M package that could end the Steph Curry era‘Due to his $62.5 million salary for the 2026-2027 regular season, there aren’t many routes for the Rockets to acquire Curry via trade,’ Santos wrote. ‘One of the most realistic offers that Houston’s front office can make is Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., JD Davison, and draft compensation.’
VanVleet and Smith Jr. are on contracts worth a combined $172 million. It would be a significant return for a Warriors side that has missed the playoffs and shown little willingness to build around its star.
Golden State has instead brought back familiar faces this summer. NBA writer Jake Weinbach noted the re-signings of Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II.
‘The Warriors are officially running it back despite missing the playoffs last season,’ Weinbach posted.
That has drawn criticism. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins has urged Curry to plan his exit.
‘Steph needs to be planning his exit strategy from the Golden State Warriors,’ Perkins said on NBA Today. ‘Over the last four years, the Warriors have been in the play-in tournament. And this year, the way that the West is stacked up, they’re gonna be a play-in tournament team again. You can’t waste any more time hoping and banking that Mike Dunleavy is gonna get it right.’
Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty ImagesA move to Houston would give the Rockets a proven winner alongside a young core, while Smith Jr. offers Golden State a promising piece for the future. VanVleet, a veteran in the latter stages of his career, would be the more awkward part of the return for the Warriors.
Whether Golden State is genuinely ready to move on from its franchise icon is another question.
If the deal ever happens, it would close the book on one of the great dynasties in NBA history. For now, it remains a prediction, but one that spells out exactly what a post-Curry future could look like.
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