{"id":175314,"date":"2026-01-31T16:46:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=175314"},"modified":"2026-01-31T16:46:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:46:55","slug":"stephen-currys-injury-adds-urgency-as-the-trade-deadline-nears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/31\/stephen-currys-injury-adds-urgency-as-the-trade-deadline-nears\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Curry\u2019s Injury Adds Urgency as the Trade Deadline Nears"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It just goes from bad to worse for the Golden State Warriors&#8217; campaign, as <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Curry&#8217;s<\/a> injury adds pressure with the trade deadline nearing.<\/p>\n<div><span>The Warriors&#8217; margin for error is shrinking by the day. What began as a season full of questions and hopeful growth has now become one defined by problems. Curry&#8217;s recent injury adds to the Warriors&#8217; uncertainty and only deepens concerns for the remainder of the season. With the trade deadline next week, where will Golden State go from here, and how will their approach change as they search for their next star in the Bay? <\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Stephen Curry\u2019s Injury Adds Urgency as the Trade Deadline Nears<\/h2>\n<h3>How the Injury Happened in Detroit<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Steph Curry LEAVES the Game With a Knee Injury \ud83d\ude1f\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DIxYhAXuxsE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div><span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/47784329\/warriors-stephen-curry-exits-vs-pistons-right-knee-soreness\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Warriors&#8217; superstar suffered a right knee injury<\/a> in last night&#8217;s loss to the Detroit Pistons. He left the game in the third quarter after experiencing discomfort. Curry limped off the floor and did not return, finishing with a solid 23 points.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Curry has dealt with previous knee issues this season, which made the moment even more concerning for both players and fans. While the full extent of the injury is still being evaluated, the timing couldn&#8217;t be worse for the Warriors, as pressure continues to build.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>However, immediately after the game, head coach Steve Kerr offered Dub Nation some reassurance regarding Curry&#8217;s situation, <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NBCSWarriors\/status\/2017481573210460230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">saying<\/a>: &#8220;I think he&#8217;s OK. I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s anything major.&#8221;<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSWarriors\/status\/2017481573210460230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div><p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 800px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBGfEGk6hM\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3072px; aspect-ratio: 3072\/2049;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span>What Curry\u2019s Absence Means for Golden State<\/span><\/h3>\n<div><span>Curry&#8217;s absence comes at an unfortunate time for the Dubs. After <\/span><span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/butleji01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Butler<\/a><\/span><span> suffered a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/21\/why-jimmy-butler-wont-be-traded-despite-season-ending-injury\/\" target=\"_self\">season-ending ACL injury <\/a>nearly two weeks ago, the Warriors were already scrabbling to stabilize their rotation and build momentum. Butler had been their secondary scoring engine, and with that option gone, Golden State has been relying on Curry more than usual to get the job done.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Now, losing their franchise leader worsens scoring issues and ultimately puts pressure on a roster that was already stretched thin. With Curry sidelined, Butler out, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuminjo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> also unavailable with a bone bruise and an <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/28\/kuminga-injury-golden-state-trade-future-on-hold\/\" target=\"_self\">uncertain return date<\/a>, luck is no longer on the Dubs&#8217; side as the All-Star break approaches.<\/span><\/div>\n<h3><span>Curry\u2019s Injury Pressures the Trade Deadline<\/span><\/h3>\n<div><span>The original aim of moving either Kuminga or Butler was to find Curry additional help. Now, with the four-time NBA champion sidelined, acquiring a player who can dominate offensively is more urgent than ever.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Golden State&#8217;s lack of offensive firepower has often been <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/30\/can-the-warriors-survive-at-least-one-week-without-injured-curry\/\" target=\"_self\">exposed when Curry has been out<\/a>. So expect the team&#8217;s form to likely dip again without its 12-time All-Star. The Warriors are now forced to confront how limited their scoring options are. This has increased the urgency to pull off a blockbuster trade before the February 5 trade deadline.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Several-high profile names have been linked to the franchise this trade window, but one stands out. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> has emerged as a potential front-runner for the Dubs after <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/25\/why-giannis-and-lebron-are-emerging-as-warriors-targets\/\" target=\"_self\">years of trade rumours<\/a>. He would be the most appropriate fit alongside Curry. In moments like this, when the superstar is sidelined, Antetokounmpo&#8217;s physical dominance and inside scoring could prove invaluable for success.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Curry&#8217;s injury has shifted the Warriors&#8217; approach to the trade deadline. Now, urgency has become the immediate priority. Long-term strategy was once viewed as the most sensible option, but what Golden State is dealing with right now has forced a change in direction. Could this make or break their season?<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>\u00a9 Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It just goes from bad to worse for the Golden State Warriors&#8217; campaign, as Stephen Curry&#8217;s injury adds pressure with the trade deadline nearing. The Warriors&#8217; margin for error is shrinking by the day. What began as a season full of questions and hopeful growth has now become one defined by problems. Curry&#8217;s recent injury [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5650,"featured_media":175390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,25,62],"tags":[142,48,528],"class_list":["post-175314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-nba","tag-jimmy-butler","tag-stephen-curry","tag-steve-kerr"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5650"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175314"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175391,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175314\/revisions\/175391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}