A franchise leader, Curry is virtually synonymous with the Warriors, with his partnership in the backcourt with Klay Thompson for a number of years making a case for them being one of the great all-time duos. Curry helped deliver enormous success to Golden State, winning multiple titles and being named the league’s Most Valuable Player in the process too.
But while many NBA fans put the Warriors and Curry hand in hand, that almost wasn’t the case. In fact, according to the point guard himself, he actually didn’t want to join Golden State in the first place, and instead had his heart set on joining another legendary franchise of the NBA.
Steph Curry Revealed He Wanted to Play for Another NBA Team
Given just how successful Curry has been with the Warriors, it’s almost impossible to imagine him wearing a jersey other than that belonging to the Golden State Warriors. The point guard is the franchise player, and remains to this day, one of the best players in the NBA.
A four-time NBA champion, the 6 foot 2 guard won back-to-back MVPs in 2015 and 2016, leading the league in scoring in the second of those campaigns. Already named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, Curry is an 11-time All-Star who has been named to the All-NBA First Team on four occasions, and was awarded the Finals MVP award in 2022.
But, had things turned out differently on draft night in 2009, then Curry may well have been leading another team to glory instead of the Warriors.
The 2009 NBA Draft was headlined by Blake Griffin, who had been catching the eye at college level with his unrivalled athleticism and highlight reel plays, but the likes of James Harden and Curry were also attracting attention from high-level NBA scouts.
Speaking to GQ Sports, Curry revealed though that he had his heart set on playing at Madison Square Garden with the New York Knicks.
I absolutely was wanting to go to the New York Knicks. The draft was in New York, my dad’s birthday June 25th, 2009. I had a lot of conversations with the GM of New York at the time, who said that if I was on the board, they’d pick me.
There was a lot of hype, being in New York, I thought I was going to be a New York Knick, but they always say be careful what you wish for. Everything happened the way it was supposed to be. So I’m a Warrior.
Indeed, even Steph’s father and former NBA star, Dell Curry, spoke about the potential of his son joining the Knicks.
The Warriors had some questionable characters on their team, the Knicks really needed a point guard, and we felt that Stephen would fit perfectly with a coach like Mike D’Antoni, playing that fast, up-and-down style. He loved the idea of playing at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Knicks Fumbled Drafting Steph Curry
Can you imagine Curry showcasing his talents at Madison Square Garden? Fans of the New York Knicks have long been regarded as some of the most passionate in the NBA, and while that has sometimes spilled over into displeasure, you would think someone like Curry would have thrived in that pressure and atmosphere.
The Knicks’ inability to compete for the NBA title in recent years – particularly during Carmelo Anthony’s prime – frustrated many, and the front office continually making the wrong decisions when it came to free agent signings and trades made things that just much more difficult. But, not possessing the foresight or the bravery to trade up to select Curry might just be one of their biggest regrets.
In the end, Curry was selected with the seventh overall pick, with the Knicks having to settle for power forward Jordan Hill out of Arizona – the players picked before Curry included Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn.
Former head coach Mike D’Antoni then delivered some further input onto the Knicks’ failure to get Curry on draft night, revealing that despite discussions within the front office about potentially moving up a few spots to select him, they opted to stand put and wait for him.
We were picking 8 in New York and man we wanted him so bad, I could taste it. didn’t know he was gonna be the Steph he is, obviously. But, for New York, he would have been on fire. He went 7 and that was one of the highlights of my disappointment — it’s like, that’s huge.
We could have, I think, moved up to 5 to get him but we had to give up a player. I think the reasoning at the end of the day, with management, was that we were gonna get him at 8 anyway so why give up that player.
