Golden State Warriors star and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry can’t be happy about how the 2022-23 season went for the team.
It started with Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during training camp in September. From there, the Warriors posted a mediocre 44-38 record before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. This came one season after Curry led his Warriors to yet another championship.
Now weeks removed from Golden State sending Poole to the Washington Wizards as part of a package for 12-time All-Star Chris Paul, Curry is already focusing on next season. In the process, he seemed to take a shot at Poole.
“The biggest thing is, everybody comes to camp with the right mindset of just trying to win — we’ve got to talk it, live it out and understand the time frame of our careers,” Stephen Curry said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “Nobody’s got time to waste in terms of any energy other than trying to win.”
That really doesn’t seem too subtle. Poole, 24, signed a $128 million contract extension with Golden State last October. Drama seemed to be the name of the game between the young guard and his now-former organization. Postseason struggles on Poole’s part a year after helping the Warriors to the title didn’t help matters, either.
Related: Stephen Curry and the top-50 NBA players of 2023
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors turning the page
Curry did have some nice things to say about Poole after the blockbuster trade with Washington was announced earlier in July. He’s also too much of a professional to call anyone out by name.
But the simple fact that Golden State included both of their draft picks from a year ago and a future first-round pick to rid itself of Poole tells us a story.
In the process, the Warriors added a potentially uneven fit in Paul to team up with Curry in the backcourt. The two former rivals are saying everything right about their new-found marriage.
For a Warriors team that is seeing its championship window close, going all in for the 2023-24 season makes sense. It’s in this that Curry is setting the tone early.