It will be a different Golden State Warriors that Stephen Curry will campaign with in time for Season 2019-20. The team is now without Kevin Durant, who opted to join the Brooklyn Nets during the free agency period, and Klay Thompson will not be back until early next year. Curry knows it'll be a different ballgame in the same team.
To begin with, losing KD did not come as a huge surprise. While he regretted losing a buddy that was instrumental in the Warriors' three straight NBA Finals appearance, two of which the team had won, Curry said he respects the decision Durant has made.
According to NBC Sport, there was no attempt on Curry's part to talk Durant out of the latter's plan to try out a new NBA home.
"There was no need to pitch. He knows what we're about and what we accomplished. He just had to make a decision that makes him happy," the former MVP was reported as saying.
Curry said KD's departure from the GSW would not hurt their relationship, adding "It was more about a respect factor, not letting the BS of this league get in the way of our relationship, and not let it change who I am or anything like that. I feel like he just knew what he wanted."
On the other hand, the Warrior franchise player had admitted he would feel the void created by the absence of Thompson, who tore his ACL in Game 6 of the recently concluded 2019 NBA Finals. The Warriors front office has already indicated that Thompson will miss the early part of next season. The earliest he would return is February 2019.
The picture of not playing alongside Thompson, whom Curry has been in tandem with since 2011, would be a big adjustment for Curry, according to Clutch Points.
"That will be the weird part ... That will definitely be kind of strange," Curry was reported as saying.
However, Curry can count on D'Angelo Russell as a reliable backcourt partner. Russell was shipped from the Nets and will bring with him All-Star credentials. He may be young, but Russell is now part of the GSW core that according to Fansided will consist of Curry, Draymond Green and the freshly acquired Russell.
Per the same report, the Warriors losing Durant was a huge blow, but it would be "foolish to just disregard a team that has made five straight NBA Finals appearances. Rival teams need to remember the Warriors still boast of an All-Star core and a coach responsible for steering the Dub Nation to success.
"Even in a stacked Western Conference, you still have to consider the Warriors legitimate championship contenders," the report said in explaining Curry and company still warrant the respect of NBA teams.
