The Golden State Warriors were once open to trading Stephen Curry. Time proved it to be a perfect marriage. Curry’s emergence as an all-time cornerstone saw the franchise become a dynasty. Now, it’s impossible to imagine the Warriors without the Baby Face Assassin — and that reality likely won’t change even as Curry approaches the twilight of his career.

The four-time champion has made it clear that he wants to be a Warrior for life. The only thing he doesn’t want is to spend his final years stuck on a struggling team. Beyond that, everything else is on the table. Curry has even indicated he would accept a significantly reduced role if it meant finishing his story in Golden State.

“Stephen and I talked about this for the story I did back in January and his thing was like ‘Yeah, I can be a role player. I can come off the bench’… There’s a lot of different ways you could go out as an NBA legend in this league and Steph, when we talked about it, seemed to put everything on the table,” Howard Beck revealed on Run It Back.

Stephen Curry has already reached the pinnacle of basketball multiple times. The Warriors franchise aligns with his journey. They were counted out, never expected to be great. Through grit and optimism, their partnership became legendary. Stephen Curry wants to honor that to the end.

It doesn’t matter how his career looks then, whether it’s as a mentor to the young guys or a low-minute bench player. For Curry, representing the Warriors franchise for his entire career matters more than the size of his role. And while he’s going out, he wants to do so with the same team he’s called home. The question is, can the Warriors have one last hurrah before Curry reaches that stage?

The Warriors’ Championship Hopes Are Sinking

The Warriors signed Jimmy Butler to extend their championship window. But they couldn’t foresee what would happen down the line. The Warriors’ title hopes took their greatest hit when Butler suffered an ACL tear. Furthermore, even Curry is on the sidelines for an indefinite period of time.

He’s suffering from runner’s knee. Stephen Curry is going to remain out for a few more games before the team evaluates his injury again. However, it’s certain that they will be cautious. But waiting for him to be fully healthy has tested the Warriors’ depth.

They claimed a stunning win against the Houston Rockets tonight. That was just their 9 win in 23 games without their superstar. Even if the Warriors fail to win often, they’ll likely find themselves in the Play-In Tournament. But Stephen Curry can’t win a championship alone. Kristaps Porzingis shifts the pendulum, but continues to deal with injury concerns.

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Butler won’t return until the midway point of next season. Frankly, the Warriors need a star to emerge from their ranks in that time. Brandin Podziemski is starting to gain that confidence again. He’s proven to be a dynamic talent who could provide the Warriors and Curry with the support they need.

It’s just not as convincing yet. Never say never for the Warriors to win again. But the potential does seem bleak.