NBA followers have been witness to one of the vital exceptional careers over the previous 15 years, with the gorgeous rise of Stephen Curry.
Drafted to the Golden State Warriors in 2009, Stephen Curry has blossomed into one of many period’s defining NBA stars.
A four-time NBA champion, Curry has been the cornerstone of the workforce’s dynasty, reaching six Finals, and on the age of 37, he’s pushing onerous to win once more in 2025.
However the 11x All-Star took a short while to blossom into the participant who led the Warriors to their first title in 2015.
And scarily for Warriors followers, the franchise are claimed to have virtually traded the would-be generational celebrity away.
One of many large strikes the Golden State Warriors made firstly of the 2010s was to commerce away franchise star Monta Ellis.
This 2012 transfer noticed the Warriors purchase Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson, sending Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks after seven years with the workforce.
Talking to the Home of Strauss podcast, Bogut claims the Warriors gave the Milwaukee Bucks a alternative of Monta Ellis or a younger Stephen Curry.
He claimed: “They have been like, ‘Yeah, it was both Monta or Steph, and we, the workforce, determined to go along with Monta based mostly on well being.
“You take a look at hindsight: the Warriors made this genius transfer and freed up for Steph Curry, and the entire narrative that adopted. It may have simply gone the opposite method. It’s a sliding door second. They’ll deny it, however I do know it for a truth.”
Former Warriors CEO Rick Welts not too long ago sparked ridicule by evaluating the magnitude of this transfer to Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic commerce.
It actually would have fitted if the Bucks had elected to take Curry as a substitute of Ellis.
Talking on his podcast, Invoice Simmons adopted up Bogut’s claims by insisting this hardly ever mentioned rumor is true so far as he’s confirmed.
Simmons stated: “It simply turned a narrative once more not too long ago about Bogut speaking in regards to the factor that I believed everyone knew, that Milwaukee had the selection between Ellis and Curry in that commerce.”
Zach Lowe responded: “It’s been whispered about for therefore lengthy. Can we ever actually verify it? I imply like who, who has anybody within the room in a public setting come out and confirmed it?”
Simmons countered that he doesn’t count on anyone throughout the Warriors group to confess it.
“I at all times heard they gave them the selection. I don’t assume [Joe] Lacob will ever admit it.
“I feel there was this actual feeling that Curry’s ankles have been at all times gonna be a difficulty, you realize, that, that this was by no means gonna be a factor that healed.”
After enjoying in 80 video games in his debut season and 74 the next 12 months, accidents meant Stephen Curry performed in solely 26 video games in 2011-12.
This was sufficient to trigger the Warriors to contemplate their choices, and the Bucks to hesitate, lacking out on a generational expertise, one 12 months earlier than drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He recovered to play 72 video games in 2012-13 and rating a then profession greatest 22.9 factors per sport.
There isn’t a assure that Curry would have turn into the unimaginable participant he’s, if he went to Milwaukee, his success is partly expertise pushed, but in addition benefiting from his match together with his teammates and coach.
A method or one other, this commerce would have modified NBA historical past, and the Warriors will be grateful Monta Ellis was chosen to go to Milwaukee as a substitute.
