Stephen Curry is the greatest Warriors uniformed player of all time, but he was nearly kicked out of the bay before his reign as the three-point king began.
Splash Brother himself tells the story: How Golden State Almost Traded Him In 2012, he moved to the Milwaukee Bucks.
But instead, he wasn’t in the package that traded Monta Ellis, Kwame Brown and Ekpe Udoh to Milwaukee in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
and while currying confirmed earlier this year On “The Draymond Green Show,” Bogut recently said his injury-prone ankle was a factor in keeping him out of trades. shared his own behind-the-scenes perspective About the situation during an interview with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.
“The reason I’m convinced [Curry was almost traded] I won’t name anyone, but the person who oversaw all medical care and had both. [Curry and Ellis’] Bogut said on “The TK Show.” “…I think it was Bucks who said he didn’t trust Steph’s ankle. Go with Monta. Work more. I know he’ll stay healthy.”
“I know the person who looked up these charts was doing rehab for my ankle, so I know the facts. She read about them, so I’m 99.9% sure what both files are I’m confident.”
Curry and his ankle have brought him four NBA championships. Numerous league records And bring a winning culture to the Warriors organization.
He told teammate Draymond Green in April that he knew the “Doctor’s part” was central to the trade debate, but the NBA Finals MVP said his coach at the time, Mark Jackson, was I made it clear how I supported him.
“Then coach Jackson dragged me out of the locker room and he said, ‘I gotta let you know, they wanted you traded.’ Curry said, ‘The Draymond Green Show. ‘ he said.
“He said, ‘I kind of intervened too…I’m going to give you the keys. We really believe in you. We need you to be healthy and That’s the rest of the season.” His line was, “Don’t make me a liar.” ”
Dub Nation didn’t know it at the time, but trading fan-favorite guard Ellis, who was part of the 2006-07 “We Believe” Warriors, paved the way for Curry to become basketball royalty. was opened. He got healthy and didn’t let Jackson lie.
“I think [the Ellis trade] I didn’t mean to insult Monta, but he was very dominant on the ball,” Bogut told Kawakami. “From what I understand… there was a bit of rivalry between him and Steph in that locker room.
“Not from Steph’s side, but from Monta’s side. He felt Steph would be a young man trying to earn his place as the number one choice. Even without it, Steph was set free for being Steph, something people don’t understand.
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In the end, everything worked out for the best. Bogut, Curry, Green, and the rest of the Warriors won his NBA title for the team in 2015 for the first time since 1975. built an era That means Golden State will go on to win four championships in eight seasons.
And in Milwaukee, the Bucks may regret the value they put on healthy ankles a decade ago.
