Should Stephen Curry leave the Warriors? Kendrick Perkins thinks the time has come

When the Golden State Warriors clinched the NBA championship in 2022, it seemed like the franchise had built a dynasty capable of competing for the title for several more seasons. However, reality has been quite different. Since that title, the team has not advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs, and season after season, they have been losing competitiveness.

What stands out is that this decline has occurred even though Stephen Curry continues to perform at an extraordinary level. At 38 years old, the Warriors' star remains one of the league's top scorers, regularly surpassing 25 points per game. However, the sports project surrounding him seems to have stagnated.

Kendrick Perkins: "Steph Curry needs to start planning his exit"

Former player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was very clear during his appearance on the show NBA Today. For him, Golden State is no longer in a position to contend for the championship, and Curry should begin to consider a change of direction.

"In the last three years, the Warriors have been in the play-in. This year, with the strength of the Western Conference, they will once again be a play-in team," Perkins stated.

The analyst believes that time is not on the side of the four-time NBA champion. While he acknowledges that he would like to see Curry retire with the Warriors' jersey, he believes the point guard deserves to play important games and continue to contend for the title while still performing at an All-NBA level.

A project that fails to take off completely

Much of the criticism towards the Warriors' front office focuses on their inability to surround Curry with a competitive team. In recent years, the franchise has been linked to big names in the market such as Paul George, Lauri Markkanen, LeBron James, or Kawhi Leonard, but none of those deals came to fruition.

The most notable acquisitions ended up being veteran Chris Paul and a Kristaps Porzingis whose recent trajectory has been marked by injuries, moves that have not been enough to return the team to the elite in the West.

This is compounded by the handling of the Jonathan Kuminga case. According to this view, Golden State delayed a possible departure of the young forward for too long, limiting his development and ultimately failing to use him as a key piece to bring in a second star.

Has Golden State Missed Its Chances?

There has also been speculation that the Warriors could have engaged in operations to acquire players like Jaylen Brown, and even explore scenarios to bring in LeBron James or Anthony Davis. However, none of those possibilities materialized.

All of this fuels the feeling that the franchise has prioritized its long-term future over maximizing the last years of one of the greatest players in history.

Stephen Curry's Big Dilemma

The big question is whether Curry will be willing to accept several more seasons striving solely to make the playoffs or if there will come a point where he prioritizes the opportunity to win a fifth ring with another franchise.

Perkins insists that he would like to see the greatest shooter of all time retire with the Warriors, but he believes the organization must also show the same commitment in building a team truly capable of competing for the title. Otherwise, the debate about a possible departure of Stephen Curry will only continue to grow in the coming months.