Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry won’t be a free agent until the summer of 2017. That’s three years from now. Discussion surrounding Curry should be limited to his chances of navigating the Warriors through a historically difficult Western Conference and how he’ll fare for Team USA during the FIBA World Cup later this month. But subjects can help dictate the news cycle, and Curry’s recent admission that he has “always had thoughts” about playing in his hometown of Charlotte is such an example.
In a recent interview on “The Doug Gottlieb Show”, Curry was asked if LeBron James’ decision to return to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers made him think about following a similar path back to Charlotte, NC. Let’s just say Curry didn’t douse the fuse.
Doug Gottlieb: LeBron went home to Cleveland… You’re a hardcore Carolina Panther fan. Charlotte is “home.” Have you guys ever talked about, ‘Hey that’d be cool to do – maybe I’ll do that some day’?
Steph Curry: I’ve always had thoughts about what it would be like playing at home and what it would be like. My dad played there for 10 years, and people around the greater Charlotte area, North Carolina did a lot for my family growing up. So you always think about it. Right now I feel like I have three years left on my deal so this won’t even be an issue for me for awhile.
I love the Bay Area and where we are as a team – trying to win a championship, that’s what it’s all about. Of course everybody dreams about or thinks about what it’s going to be like to play at home. And obviously if that opportunity comes along it’s a different discussion.
Frankly, there’s not too much there to get really excited about. Curry’s affinity for Charlotte and North Carolina as a whole is hardly a secret. A bigger surprise than Curry admitting that he’s thought about playing for the Hornets would have been an insistence that he hadn’t, or if he took Gottlieb’s question as an opportunity to verbally commit to Golden State longterm.
NBA players, you’ll find, aren’t much different than the rest of us. If a player holds dear a place he considers “home,” it only makes sense that he would consider returning there to work once the opportunity presents itself. That’s the only thing Curry is confirming here.
But as Gottlieb alludes, perhaps James’ choice to try and bring a championship to his hometown will start a trend. Speculation is already running rampant, after all, that Kevin Durant will take his talents back to his native Washington, D.C. to play with the Wizards when he’s a free agent in 2016.
Has LeBron’s decision had an effect on Curry? There’s no way to know for sure; the Warriors marksman says he’s “always” had these thoughts on Charlotte. Either way, expect this story to re-surface in two years’ time when Curry’s impending free agency becomes a real worry.
Has LeBron started a trend?
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