Warriors Have Dipped Below .500 But Shouldn’t Make ‘Desperate’ Trade, Steph Curry Says

With the NBA trade deadline just a little more three weeks away, Golden State star Stephen Curry is urging caution — as the slumping Warriors navigate an ugly stretch.

Despite the Warriors falling to 19-20 after a 104-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday, Curry stressed that panic trades would not be the solution.

They’ve now lost 17 of 24 games after starting the season 12-3, but Curry remains steadfast in his belief that the franchise must avoid desperate moves that would “deplete the future.”

“Desperate trades or desperate moves that deplete the future, there is a responsibility on allowing or keeping the franchise in a good space and good spot when it comes to where we leave this thing when we’re done,” Curry told NBA reporters. “Doesn’t mean that you’re not trying to get better.

“It doesn’t mean that you’re not active in any type of search to, if you have an opportunity where a trade makes sense or even in the summer free agency [move] makes sense.

“You want to continue to get better. Nobody wants to be stale or be in a situation where you’re passing up opportunities. But it doesn’t mean that you’re desperate just flinging assets all around the place just because you want to do something.”

Curry’s remarks echoed the sentiment of general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., coach Steve Kerr, and fellow star Draymond Green, who have all preached patience in the face of the team’s current struggles.

Kerr, Green, and Curry have emphasized the importance of allowing the young players to develop, while still aiming to compete for NBA championships.

Despite the Warriors being short-handed in Monday’s loss — missing Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II, and Brandin Podziemski — Curry and his teammates were frustrated by their inability to close out the game.

Golden State led by nine points with just under 10 minutes left but missed their final five shots, including three 3-pointers in the last minute, one of which came from Curry.

Afterward, Kerr took responsibility for the loss, acknowledging that his team’s execution wasn’t good enough.

“Just didn’t get good looks, didn’t execute very well, weren’t disciplined enough, and that’s my fault,” Kerr said. “I’m the coach of the team. I have to find a way to help this team. And I’m not doing a good job of that. This is as frustrating a night as we’ve had all season for me.”

“It sucks. I don’t like falling below .500. But here we are, so we got to do better.”