There will never be another Stephen Curry. He changed how the game is played, turned the Golden State Warriors into a dynasty, and helped make the 3-pointer the most influential shot in basketball. The Dub Nation aren’t going to find another star like that, but they can find the next player capable of carrying pieces of what the four-time NBA champion built.

That could mean a young player already inside the organization. It could mean a future trade target whose game fits naturally into the Warriors’ system. Or, in a more ambitious scenario, it could mean swinging for a superstar who gives the franchise a new face once Stephen Curry’s playing days are over.

The post-Curry era is coming. It is simply not here yet. What the Warriors are doing right now is building the infrastructure for when it does arrive, and the summer of 2027, when Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler III could all simultaneously become free agents, is the real inflection point. If that core walks, Golden State projects to have over $100 million in cap space. That is not a slow rebuild. That is a reset button.

Yaxel Lendeborg

The franchise has already started thinking beyond the Stephen Curry era. Golden State selected Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, making him the organization’s most obvious long-term investment.

The Warriors had also been seriously interested in Brayden Burries and Morez Johnson Jr. – both went off the board at picks 10 and 9, respectively, making Lendeborg, in GM Mike Dunleavy’s words, the “obvious and most rational path” once those options disappeared.

He doesn’t resemble Curry stylistically, and that’s actually part of the appeal. The Warriors don’t need to find another 6-foot-3 guard who shoots from 30 feet. They need a player who can thrive in the kind of versatile, movement-heavy basketball Curry helped establish.

At Michigan, Lendeborg showed an intriguing combination of size, playmaking, shooting and defensive versatility. He averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 37% from three, earning consensus First-Team All-American honors. His 7-foot-3 wingspan also gives Golden State a defensive dimension it simply cannot get from Curry.

Scouts have compared his profile to Aaron Gordon- someone who can do a little of everything from either frontcourt spot, finishing above the rim, making plays in ball-screen situations, and knocking down spot-up threes without needing the offense built around him. His tape also placed him in the 90th percentile or better as a spot-up scorer, post-up player, pick-and-roll handler, transition weapon and cutter.

The biggest question is upside. Lendeborg will turn 24 before his first NBA regular-season game, making him an older prospect by lottery standards. He may never develop into a franchise superstar. But that doesn’t mean he can’t become incredibly important.

His ability to defend multiple positions, handle the ball, make plays and space the floor gives Steve Kerr plenty to work with. He also looked comfortable during Summer League, including a championship-game performance that earned him MVP honors. If he is given the keys, he could become the next Warrior fans believe in.

Trae Young

If Golden State eventually decides it wants the closest thing possible to a Stephen Curry-style offensive engine, Trae Young would be one of the most obvious names to consider.

The comparison is not perfect. Young and Curry have different games, different physical profiles and very different career paths. But there is enough overlap to make the hypothetical fascinating.

Both guards can pull up from well beyond the three-point line. Both are dangerous in pick-and-roll situations. Both can manipulate defenses with their shooting range, forcing defenders to pick their poison before the possession has even developed.

Young’s ability to create his own shot while simultaneously generating opportunities for teammates would give Golden State something it will eventually need: a player capable of carrying an offense when the possession breaks down.

Curry spent much of his career weaponizing movement, shooting and creativity. Young can do something similar, although his game relies more heavily on ball dominance.

The fit question is also real: with the Warriors likely to have substantial cap space in 2027 and beyond, the question is less whether they could acquire Young and more whether his style – heavy ball usage, uneven two-way impact, is actually the kind of player they would want to build the next era around.

Young would bring his own style while giving the Warriors an elite offensive creator who can stretch defenses and create opportunities for others.

Anthony Edwards

He is the dream scenario. Anthony Edwards isn’t a Stephen Curry replacement in any traditional sense. He’s bigger, more physical and far more reliant on power and athleticism to create advantages. But if the Warriors eventually find themselves searching for the next true face of the franchise, Edwards is exactly the kind of player they would want.

He has the star power. He has the personality. And, most importantly, he has the talent to become the kind of player an organization can build an entire era around.

The obvious obstacle is Minnesota. The Timberwolves have not simply made Edwards the centerpiece of their franchise – they have retooled aggressively around him this summer, trading for LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga, and are now planning to offer him a “monster” contract extension next summer.

The internal goal is to get Edwards another All-NBA selection in 2026-27 to maximize his earning potential, then lock him in for the foreseeable future. Edwards is under contract through the 2028-29 season and is not expected to request a trade. Prying a young superstar away from his team would require an enormous offer. This isn’t a player Golden State simply decides it wants and then acquires. Things would have to go sideways first.

That is why this belongs in the long-term hypothetical category rather than the realistic immediate-target category. But NBA situations change quickly. If Minnesota ever reached the point where Edwards became available, every contender in the league would be calling.

Golden State should be one of them. He wouldn’t have to imitate Stephen Curry. He could take the franchise somewhere completely different.

Reed Sheppard

Reed Sheppard is a much different proposition because the Warriors would have to acquire him rather than develop him from the beginning. The 22-year-old entered the NBA with one of the cleanest shooting reputations in his class, and his ability to operate as a guard who can space the floor, move the ball and make plays fits the basic offensive principles that have defined Golden State for years.

He also brings the kind of size and skill combination that could allow him to play alongside another primary creator rather than needing the offense built entirely around him. That makes Sheppard particularly interesting in a future trade scenario.

Houston has accumulated considerable backcourt depth, and the Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, a result that accelerated internal questions about roster construction. Sheppard himself had a difficult playoff debut against the Lakers, averaging just 12 points per game on roughly 30% shooting and connecting on only 16 of 54 three-point attempts in six games.

The Rockets added Marcus Smart this summer while continuing to build around Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant. Sheppard remains a promising young player, but his place in the long-term hierarchy could become complicated with Smart now in the rotation and Fred VanVleet returning from injury, creating genuine minutes pressure at the guard position for the first time in his young career.

In fact, recent reporting has identified Sheppard as one of Houston’s most attractive trade assets. That’s where Golden State could become relevant. The Warriors would have to determine whether Sheppard has enough upside to justify paying a significant price. If they believe he does, his shooting and playmaking could make him an intriguing fit in the post-Curry era.

More than anything, Sheppard could help preserve the style of basketball Stephen Curry made synonymous with Golden State.

Kon Knueppel

Of all the names on this list, Kon Knueppel might be the most intriguing purely because of the shooting connection. The 21-year-old made an immediate impact with the Charlotte Hornets, and his rookie season was extraordinary from beyond the arc.

He finished 2025-26 with 273 made threes while shooting 42.5% from deep, averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Knueppel is not Stephen Curry, and nobody is suggesting that.

But Knueppel’s combination of shooting, size and offensive feel makes him particularly interesting. He isn’t simply standing in the corner waiting for catch-and-shoot opportunities. He showed enough versatility as a rookie to suggest he could eventually become a high-level offensive piece in his own right.

That’s where a future trade scenario becomes compelling. Charlotte would have little reason to move a player who just broke one of the league’s most recognizable rookie shooting records. Golden State would also have to offer a package substantial enough to make the Hornets listen.

Still, if the Warriors ever see an opportunity, Knueppel is the kind of player worth investigating. After all, Stephen Curry’s legacy is about much more than one player.