"We were looking at Steph & seeing Steve Nash" - Steve Kerr reveals Steph Curry was almost traded to Phoenix Suns before draft night
Before he coached Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr was the Phoenix Suns part-owner and general manager. He made several key moves to try to bring a championship to the franchise, including trading for players like Shaquille O'Neal, Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.
Ultimately, the Suns failed to capture a title, and he stepped down from his position in 2010. He continued to be a minority owner until he became the coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2014.
Kerr eventually won four championships with the Warriors, thanks in large part to Curry. Before they formed a dynasty, however, the two were almost part of the same organization.
Steph Curry and Steve Kerr discussed how Kerr tried to trade for him with Rachel Nichols on the upcoming episode of "Headliners." In a preview of the episode shown on X, Nichols brought up the trade that almost took place.
"Yeah, I was the GM in Phoenix from 2007-2010," Kerr said. "We were looking at Steph (Curry) and seeing Steve Nash, you know, the next version.
"They were so alike in many ways, and so we had watched Steve become a two-time MVP, so all of the concerns that most of the people in the league had about Steph in terms of size and defense and athleticism, we saw everything we needed to see."
Kerr talked about how they thought a trade was already in place and that when Steph Curry had fallen to the seventh pick, they thought a deal was going to be made. However, the deal did not materialize, and the Warriors ended up keeping him.
Thankfully for the two, they got the chance to work together down the line to form one of the greatest teams in NBA history. But it is one of the biggest what-ifs in Suns history.
Also read: 5 reasons why Golden State Warriors could part ways with Steve Kerr after 2023-24 NBA season.
Steph Curry embraced the superstar role under the coaching of Steve Kerr
The Warriors were starting to look like a threat by the 2012-13 season under Mark Jackson, but they were eliminated in the conference semifinals that season and then in the first round in the next.
Golden State's front office then decided to bring in a new coach by hiring Steve Kerr. In his first season, the Warriors had a league-best 67-15 record. They marched on to the Finals and brought home the Warriors' first championship since 1975 and the first of their four together.
This marked the beginning of Steph Curry's rise to true superstardom as he went on to win two league MVPs (2015 and 2016), two scoring titles (2016 and 2021), a 50-40-90 season (2016) and a Finals MVP award.