A New Beginning
The question is: if Curry were to leave Golden State, where would he go?
During the aforementioned podcast, Elhassan suggested that the most likely destination for Curry would be to sign with the Charlotte Hornets.
Curry grew up in the area, along with his wife, Ayesha. Elhassan explained that not only would they like to raise their children there one day, but his father, ex-NBA player Dell Curry, continues to broadcast Hornets games for Fox Sports.
But, according to Elahassan, there is potentially one major hitch. Through the Hornets’ majority owner, Michael Jordan, the Jordan Brand has heavy influence within the Hornets franchise. The Hornets’ home, the Spectrum Center, is littered with the Jordan Brand logo. The influence is so large that as of next season, the Hornets’ uniforms will feature the Jordan brand over the league’s new apparel outfitter, Nike.
As Elhassan pointed out very succinctly, Curry is “a sneaker salesman playing basketball.”
By this he means that Curry’s current and future playing salary somewhat dwarfs in comparison to the riches he can make off the field with his apparel range. Jumping from Golden State to Charlotte would simply represent the same issue, just in a different market. And a much smaller market at that.
Furthermore, jumping from the Warriors to the Hornets wouldn’t help Curry’s chances of competing for future titles.