Once upon a time, the Warriors nearly traded Steph Curry.
To say that the organization would have regretted that move would be an understatement.
Curry joined fellow Warriors teammate Draymond Green on the latest episode of the Draymond Green Show, where he discussed Golden State's blockbuster Monta Ellis trade with the Milwaukee Bucks in March of 2012 that nearly included Curry.
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What ended up preventing Curry from being included, reportedly were the concerns the Bucks' medical staff had regarding Steph's early injury history.
"The doctor part, I can't put a name to it, but I know that was part of the conversation because it all happened at once for me," Curry said. "I knew exactly where we were, we were in Sacramento. It was the lockout year so it was right at the trade deadline. We get to the arena, walk in the locker room. I was on the first bus, Monta usually comes on the second bus.
"I get in the locker room, I'm getting tape, getting ready to play and you see across the ticker on the TV in the locker room like breaking news 'NBA trade: Warriors trade Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and somebody else for Andrew Bogut.' That's how we found out, we were in the locker room like 'what? what's going on?'"
If the Warriors did include Steph, they would have shipped away both current and future Golden State legends. Ellis, of course, was part of the "We Believe" Warriors team in 2006-07 an exciting core that predated the future Warriors dynasty that won three NBA championships just eight years later.
Golden State Warriors
"So Monta shows up, he just got off the phone with his agent, his agent just called him -- and this is maybe an hour and a half before the game, two hours," Curry added. "So then he's kind of like emotional but resolute like 'this is happening, forget y'all.' Not the team but the organization in terms of ... he was the true, ultimate Warriors, he was a fan-favorite, deservedly so ... So it was a tough blow for all of Dub Nation, it wasn't really received well."
Shortly after the trade, Curry received a vote of confidence from then-coach Mark Jackson, signaling the beginning of the Steph Curry-led Warriors era.
"So that's how it went down, everybody kind of said their goodbyes to Monta, Ekpe and they left," Curry recalled. "Then coach Jackson pulled me out of the locker room and he's like 'yo, I just have to let you know, they wanted you in the trade' but for whatever reason, it didn't go down like that. He said 'I kind of stepped in too ... I'm going to give you the keys. We really believe in you, we just have to get you healthy and that's what the rest of the season is going to be about.' His line was 'don't make me a liar.'
"That was when the trade happened and oh, by the way, that could have been you all at the same time. Crazy, crazy day, I'll never forget that moment. It definitely set the tone for what the next chapter is about to be."
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In an alternate universe, the Warriors would have traded Curry, a move that they would have regretted for decades to come.
Two MVPs, three NBA championships and an abundance of personal accolades later, there is zero doubt that they made the right choice.