I spent my Monday afternoon watching the Warriors get obliterated by the Celtics — a 40-point loss, wire-to-wire domination and a stark reminder of just how far Golden State has fallen. One thought kept creeping into my mind: The path Boston took to become the powerhouse it is today is the exact lesson Golden State needs to learn.

The Boston Blueprint

Almost 12 years ago, Danny Ainge made the kind of ruthless, franchise-defining move that separates good front offices from great ones. He traded Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn for a treasure chest of picks. At the time, it wasn’t obvious that trading Celtics royalty for those picks would morph into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the foundation of a team that’s now a perennial contender. But that’s the point: Ainge didn’t wait for things to fall apart. He made the tough call before it was too late.

A lot of teams wouldn’t have had the guts. Most franchises would’ve held on to Pierce until he was wheezing his way to 3.2 points per night, all in the name of loyalty, nostalgia and PR optics. The Celtics didn’t want to repeat history from two decades prior when they clung to Larry Bird and Kevin McHale for too long.

“I sat with Red Auerbach during a Christmas party [in the 1990s],” Ainge recalled during a 2012 radio interview. "Red was talking to Larry, Kevin and myself. There was a lot of trade discussion at the time, and Red actually shared some of the trade discussions. And I told Red, ‘What are you doing? Why are you waiting?’ I mean, I feel that way now. If I were presented with those kind of deals for our aging veterans, it's a done deal to continue the success."

Bird and McHale were falling apart physically in the early 1990s. Pierce and Garnett were still competitive when they were dealt in 2013, but their play was regressing and the team was getting worse. That’s why the Celtics cut ties before things got ugly. Sure, it pissed off fans and local media. But it worked.

Which brings us to the Warriors.

Golden State’s crossroads

The Warriors are staring at the same crossroads with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Steph turns 37 in three months, and while he’s still a top-10-ish player, his scoring efficiency and volume are dipping — 23 points on 17.1 shots per game, his lowest output since Golden State’s pre-playoff days. Curry is also increasingly being successfully targeted on defense because he’s no longer as quick laterally as he once was. Draymond, who turns 35 in March, remains a great defensive player, but he’s not in his prime as a defensive anchor. Injuries are beginning to pile up too. Curry is dealing with a knee problem that has sidelined him for some games, while Green is dealing with back and calf issues that are causing him to miss time. The signs of decline are apparent, and Father Time is not slowing down.

Since winning the NBA Finals in 2022, the Warriors snuck into the playoffs once, got eliminated last year in the play-in and right now are 21-21 and on the outside looking in of the play-in of a loaded Western Conference. Unless there’s a miracle trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or some other megastar, the run is all but over. That is why Curry, Green and Steve Kerr have spent the whole month talking openly about why they shouldn’t trade a promising future away to help the rocky present.

“There is a responsibility on keeping the franchise in a good space and good spot when it comes to where we leave this thing when we’re done,” Curry said last week. This public messaging prompted me to write an article last week with the headline: “Should Stephen Curry move on from the Warriors?” But the flip side of this conversation is: “Should the Warriors move on from Steph and Draymond?” What happens if a team with a war chest of draft picks makes an offer? If team owner Joe Lacob doesn’t at least listen, he’s doing this franchise and its future a massive disservice — even if the fans rip him for even thinking about moving on.

The two-timeline plan has largely fallen flat. With whiff after whiff in the draft, Warriors fans have no reason to believe team ownership and general manager Mike Dunleavy can rebuild successfully moving forward either. But the draft is difficult. Having more picks gives you more chances. And as of today, Curry and Green are both still great enough and signed under contracts for long enough that returns could be significant.

Trading Steph and Draymond isn’t an easy conversation, but it’s a necessary one. The Celtics had it in 2013 with Pierce and KG and are still reaping the rewards. The Warriors have to decide if they’re ready to do the same — or if they’re content watching the dynasty crumble in slow motion.

Alright, enough rationalizing. Let’s get on to some fake trades:

Fake Draymond Trades

1. Dallas gets Draymond Green for Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber, two firsts (2025 and 2031) and two seconds

Besides a healthy Luka Dončić, all the Mavericks are really missing is the ability to play small ball to counter five-out offenses. Green solves that issue while also adding a brand new wrinkle to the offense with his playmaking. Trading the remainder of their picks seems like a strong all-in bet.

For the Warriors, gaining more picks in this year’s draft would give them more capital to move around. Plus, Gafford was dealt for a first-round pick just one year ago, so he could be flipped again. If Luka bolts by 2031, after Green and Kyrie Irving retire, that first could be gold.

2. Detroit gets Draymond Green for Isaiah Stewart, 2029 first and four seconds

Cade Cunningham should be an All-Star, and the Pistons look ready to be in the playoffs. But they need some help on defense and a tad more variety on offense. Draymond would be an ideal two-way fit. It could easily be argued the Pistons would be better off holding on to their picks, but Green could really help accelerate things in what would be a homecoming for him as a Michigan native.

Golden State picks up a young big man in Stewart, a future first and a handful of second-rounders — including one from the Raptors in 2025 that could land in the top 35. This deal also sneaks the Warriors under the luxury tax.

3. Atlanta gets Draymond Green for Clint Capela, two firsts (2025 via Lakers and Kings) and two seconds

The Hawks need a defensive identity, and Draymond would instantly elevate them while unlocking some of the transition offensive magic they’ve been sorely missing. Of course, mortgaging picks for an aging star feels risky when this still doesn’t make Atlanta a contender. But hey, desperation does crazy things.

Golden State gets an expiring deal in Capela and some valuable pick flexibility, setting the table for the rebuild.

4. Houston gets Draymond Green and Lindy Waters for Cam Whitmore, Steven Adams, Jeff Green, 2027 Suns first and two seconds

The recent absence of Jabari Smith Jr. has really taxed Alperen Şengün on defense for long stretches of games. Plugging in Green would assure the Rockets remain elite defensively. And for any concerns about Draymond getting along with Dillon Brooks, he heaped praise onto Brooks and the Rockets last month on his podcast.

That Suns first is an incredibly valuable asset. And it’s unprotected. Plus Whitmore is a super talented 20-year-old player that’s like the equivalent value of a lottery pick. (A trade involving Green and Adams would be hilarious after Draymond kicked Adams in the junk almost a decade ago!)

5. L.A. Lakers get Draymond Green, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield for Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, one 2029 first and two 2025 seconds

You didn’t think I could go this entire section without uniting BFFs Draymond and LeBron James, did ya? The Lakers would upgrade their defense and shooting around LeBron and Anthony Davis in this deal, making an all-in effort to go for it this year. It’s probably the wrong path to take though, but that may not stop them from going for it.

The Warriors would end up swapping long-term contracts for all short-term money while getting what could be a high-value asset in the future once LeBron and Draymond are retired, and AD is gone or declining.

Fake Steph Trades

1. Orlando gets Steph Curry for Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony, four firsts and two swaps

The Magic have an elite defense. What they need is an offense. Imagine replacing Cole with Steph, who’d supercharge Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to levels we haven’t seen them play before. A Curry/KCP/Wagner/Banchero/Goga Bitadze starting five with a bench unit of Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Tristan da Silva and Wendell Carter would be filthy.

The Warriors would get Orlando’s whole future, basically with the rights to six firsts, plus Black, who has shown promise as a recent lottery pick. With that said, the Magic are a fair bet to sustain success so there’d be risk in accepting their picks given how young the core is even if Curry were to rapidly decline.

2. Charlotte gets Steph Curry, Kevon Looney and Lindy Waters for Miles Bridges, Grant Williams, Josh Green, four firsts and two swaps

Dell Curry announces the games. Seth Curry comes off the bench. And … Steph starts? It’d be a nice story for the Currys to be back together again. But for basketball reasons I don’t think it makes all too much sense for the Hornets to sell a bunch of their future for a player as old as Curry, rather than building patiently.

The Hornets haven’t proven anything with their existing core, and as a small-market franchise they aren’t exactly a free-agent destination either. There’d be an appeal for the Warriors to receive their future picks. The players all would have value to be flipped as well, though Williams is out for this season. Giving up Looney and Waters would also push the Warriors under the luxury tax.

3. Houston gets Steph Curry for Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, three firsts and two swaps

Instead of waiting for Sheppard to develop into Steph Lite, the Rockets would get the real deal to energize their offense. The Warriors would have a major young piece to develop in Sheppard, who was just drafted third last June, plus a whole bunch of picks and salary-cap relief with VanVleet having a non-guaranteed deal for next season.

But wait a minute! Houston was listed under the Draymond section too, right? Yes. Here’s the all-in mega deal that would break the internet:

Rockets receive:

• Stephen Curry

• Draymond Green

• Buddy Hield

• Lindy Waters

Warriors receive:

• Reed Sheppard

• Cam Whitmore

• Expiring salaries (Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and Jae'Sean Tate)

• Four unprotected firsts (one in 2027 via Suns, two in 2029 of the most favorable from the Mavericks, Rockets and Suns, and one in 2031 via Rockets)

• Three first-round swaps (2025 rights via Suns, 2027 rights via Nets or Rockets, and 2028 rights via Rockets)

This is so much that I’m not even sure I’d do it if I were the Rockets when there’s no guarantee Curry and Green sustain high-level play for the final 2.5 years of their contracts. But the window is as open as ever, and even if a better, younger star became available within the next year or two, then one of the teams with more picks than them (the Jazz, Nets, Spurs or Thunder) could outbid the Rockets with relative ease. Regardless of the price, this team is stacked:

G: Steph Curry
G: Dillon Brooks/Jalen Green
F: Amen Thompson/Tari Eason
F: Draymond Green/Jabari Smith
C: Alperen Şengün

Houston should forget about Jimmy Butler and stop praying Devin Booker demands a trade out of Phoenix. Why not give the Warriors a call? They might actually listen.

This deal would be a no-brainer for the Warriors, in my opinion. Even taking less would be quite acceptable. They’d clear the books for this summer, immediately get under the luxury tax, gain two promising young players and have a bunch of picks from different organizations. The Warriors could tank the remainder of this season, and next year, too, and possibly get lottery luck to land a generational talent like Cooper Flagg in 2025 or one of the multiple elite prospects in 2026. Moving on would also enable the Warriors to trade other veterans like Andrew Wiggins, freeing more playing time (and finances) to invest in the existing young players.

If the Warriors wait until the summer to consider Steph trades, then maybe the Lakers and Spurs, among others, could better position themselves for a deal. More teams could pop up for Draymond, too. But there’s no guarantee they actually do better than if Houston called offering basically everything, and both Steph and Draymond would have one year less on their contracts and be that much older. And if it’s not a mega-deal like this one, sending Curry and Green to separate teams would end up netting a comparable return.

Light-years ahead or getting left behind?

Lacob once proudly declared the Warriors were light-years ahead of the rest of the league. He envisioned a dynasty built to last — a franchise modeled after the Spurs, sustaining excellence for two decades, churning out titles without ever truly rebuilding. But sustaining success can’t be about clinging to the past, especially when the two-timeline model was botched with multiple big misses in the draft. At this point, it’s about recognizing when to evolve, when to pivot and when to make the tough calls.

After all, that’s what the Spurs did. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili and Tony Parker anchored the team for years, but Gregg Popovich constantly evolved. He shifted from a '90s post-heavy offense with Duncan and David Robinson to pioneering corner 3s in the late 2000s, and later to a fluid motion-based system in the 2010s.

The Warriors, meanwhile, remain very much the same. Despite acquiring big lob threats in the past, Kerr has refused to embrace more pick-and-roll sets. Curry, now deep into his 30s, is still running through an exhausting maze of screens every night. Defenses have adapted. The Warriors haven’t. On the court and in the front office, they’re stuck looking in the rearview mirror.

The question for Warriors fans isn’t “should they trade them?” It’s “what happens if they don’t?”

Golden State’s recent draft history is shaky at best. The more future picks they part with, the fewer chances they’ll have to strike gold again — just as they did with Curry back in 2009, one year before Lacob bought the team for $450 million. Fast forward to today, and the franchise is valued at $9.14 billion. Curry, Green and Klay Thompson have already left the organization in a far better place than when they arrived. Nobody wants to see Steph, Draymond or Klay in another uniform — just like Celtics fans didn’t want to see Pierce and Garnett leave Boston — but Thompson already is. Steph and Draymond could be next.

Legends may want to write their own endings, but smart franchises don’t let nostalgia dictate their future. Sports history has shown that sentimentality is a trap. The harsh reality is that greatness fades, and new giants inevitably rise. Just as the Warriors arrived as those great Celtics, Lakers and Spurs teams all began to age out of contention.

If the Warriors are truly light-years ahead, it’s time to stop looking back before they turn into just another dynasty that couldn’t let go.