Tempers flared after Stephen Curry’s recent interview. Not at the Chef though. Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins was so furious after the interview, he issued a fiery ultimatum to Golden State Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.. Like most Warriors fans, Perk is demanding that the front office immediately build a legitimate contender around their existing franchise cornerstone.
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Reacting to Curry’s recent CNBC interview, where the superstar reaffirmed his desire to remain a “Warriors lifer” rather than hit free agency like LeBron James, Perkins argued that Golden State cannot afford to waste the remaining years of the greatest player in Bay Area sports history. On ESPN’s NBA Today, Perk emphasized that Curry’s unmatched loyalty shouldn’t give the front office a pass, declaring:
“The Warriors don’t have the option to wait on nothing when it comes to Steph Curry.”
Perkins proceeded to put Curry in Bay Area royalty to argue he deserves better.
“Steph Curry, and I say this with all due respect to Willie Mays, and Barry Bonds, and Joe Montana, and Steve Young, and Jerry Rice, Steph Curry is the greatest Bay Area player to ever get his feet hot. And loyalty in today’s game, you don’t see that from players. The fact that Steph Curry has been riding with them over the last three or four years, knowing that he wants to win a championship… To me, what this interview said to me is, Mike Dunleavy, you have to do your d*mn job.”
During his appearance on CNBC, Curry was asked directly whether testing free agency or exploring other options at the end of his deal was appealing to him after watching James navigate late-career free-agent moves.
“Not at all,” Curry said regarding free agency exploration. “I’ve always stated that I wanna be a lifer with Golden State. What we’ve built there, the fact that I get to run it back this year with Draymond and Coach Kerr. All the contract stuff is this NBA thing from year to year is so crazy things change really fast. But I do know my interest and mission to stay in Golden State and be competitive is there and the contract stuff will take care of itself.”
While this gave comfort to Dub Nation, like Perkins, they’re also mad at Mike Dunleavy Jr. for prioritizing conserving a future rebuild over Curry’s remaining prime. Perk went as far as turning his impassioned plea into a demand for direct accountability from Dunleavy.
“Let’s be honest. I don’t want to keep hearing about reports that the Warriors are in the hunt, the Warriors in the mix, they’re trying to… They was in the mix to get Giannis. They want to go out there and get that. Why are you not landing them? We’re talking about Steph Curry, and I take it a step further: in my eyes, he’s the greatest point guard of all time.
“We could argue about if he’s a point guard or not. D*mn it, he’s listed as a PG. Mike Dunleavy has to have some type of accountability to make sure that he put the pieces and do his d*mn job to surround Steph, Draymond, and Steve Kerr with a championship roster to be able to compete.”
Perkins’ call to action arrives after a tumultuous stretch for the Dubs front office. Dunleavy pulled off a blockbuster multi-team deal to acquire six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat, sacrificing Andrew Wiggins and draft capital to give Curry another proven postseason scoring option.
However, injuries severely depleted the Warriors’ momentum last season, forcing them back into mid-table play-in uncertainty in a deep Western Conference.
The offseason has gone relatively quietly despite the Warriors being frontrunners in the Giannis, Jaylen Brown, and LeBron sweepstakes. So far, they’ve made last-minute signings of Brandon Williams and Georges Niang.
Addressing whether Dunleavy has done enough, front-office insider Bobby Marks noted during the panel that while the Butler trade signaled aggressive intent, Curry entering his age-39 and 40 seasons leaves zero room for error.
With Curry committed to staying in the Bay Area alongside Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr, the pressure shifts entirely to Dunleavy. As Perkins made clear, having a generational icon willing to remain a lifer is a rare privilege, and the Warriors must match Curry’s loyalty with immediate championship urgency.