feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

The Golden State Warriors have been on a historic run for the past eight years. While winning four championships during this time, they have cemented themselves as the newest dynasty in the NBA, led by none other than Stephen Curry. Although the Warriors made the right decisions with their signings and drafting to get to this coveted place, a failed trade attempt back in 2012 was one major reason for the Warriors to be where they are now.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

As Stephen Curry recently reunited with a certain Warriors veteran, NBA legend Dwight Howard wanted fans to remember that the Warriors making the right decision back in 2012 started it all.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stephen Curry reunited with Monta Ellis

As the Golden State Warriors were facing off against the Brooklyn Nets, former Warriors guard Monta Ellis was seen sharing a moment with Stephen Curry before the start of the game.

The video of their interaction was shared online, and people were happy to see Monta and Stephen Curry together. NBA legend Dwight Howard also reacted to the video and retweeted it with the caption, “This was the beginning of the Golden State dynasty, iykyk.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Howard wanted fans to remember that the Warriors dynasty started once Ellis left. This meant that the Warriors had to choose between the two back in 2012, and that decision ultimately paid off. However, it was not the Warriors that had to make the decision, but rather the Milwaukee Bucks.

The failed trade that started it all for the Warriors

ADVERTISEMENT

Back in the 2000s, the Warriors had stayed in the realm of mediocrity for a while. Even after drafting Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, they still didn’t get a lot of playing time. This was when Monta Ellis was the star guard on the team.

Read More: Former Warriors Star Slams ‘Disrespectful’ Draymond Green Over Reckless On-Court Behavior: “He Is Not Above Every Other Player’s Safety”

So in 2012, the Warriors decided that it was finally time for them to get a big man, and move on from one of the guards that they had. While Curry was younger than Ellis, constant ankle injuries made people question his position in the NBA at the time. Ellis, on the other hand, was averaging over 20 points per game.

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch This Story: Pat McAfee Convinced Aaron Rodgers Will Complete Christmas Comeback With Jaw-Dropping Reveal

So the Warriors decided to offer Curry to the Bucks in return for Andrew Bogut. However, the Bucks medical staff did not think the risk was worth it to take Stephen Curry because of his injury history and rejected the offer. So they later traded Monta Ellis instead of Curry in that deal, and the rest is history.

ADVERTISEMENT

Do you think the Warriors could have had the same success if Stephen Curry was traded instead of Ellis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Rijin Varghese

687 Articles

Rijin is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Specializing in the technical aspects of the game, keeps a close eye on the three principles of coaching of Gregg Popovich: Humility, Discipline, and Determination. That same attention to detail made him a big fan of the reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. While Rijin did not follow the traditional route to become a journalist, his passion for basketball and writing brought him to ES.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Caroline Joseph

ADVERTISEMENT