When Steph was given the key to the city of Charlotte, he unlocked a dream for Hornets fans.
While Charlotte Hornets fans still have fond feelings for Kemba Walker and see a wonderful long-term relationship developing with LaMelo Ball, there’s another NBA player who has captured their hearts despite never donning a Hornets jersey, and that’s Charlotte’s own Steph Curry.
When Steph was presented with a key to the city of Charlotte last week he made a comment about one day potentially playing for the Hornets that left many Hornets fans dreaming about the possibility.
During his acceptance speech he said he wants to finish his career in Golden State, but people often ask him if he’d like to spend the last year of his career in Charlotte. At the mention of Steph in a Hornets jersey the Charlotte-based crowd spontaneously started to applaud at the notion but he quickly calmed them down. He has no plans of leaving Golden State.
But he then added this caveat that should give all of us at least a little bit of hope: “All I would say though is if there was a team that I did want to play for that was not named the Warriors, (the Hornets) would be it.” You can see his full speech below with his comments about the Hornets starting around the 4:00 mark.
The future Hall of Famer had always been closely tied to the Queen City and the state of North Carolina. His father, Dell Curry, played 10 seasons with the Hornets before ending his career with the Toronto Raptors. After finishing his NBA playing days the Curry family moved back to Charlotte where Steph was raised. Dell has worked as a commentator on Hornets broadcasts since 2009 and remains one of the most iconic members of the Charlotte Hornets family.
In his acceptance speech Steph reflected on his time at Charlotte Prep, Lake Norman Day School, and stated that his years at Charlotte Christian “were some of the best years I’ve ever had in terms of the community I was able to be a part of.” He then spent his college career at Davidson about 20 miles from Charlotte.
When reflecting on his ties to Charlotte he said, “There’s a sense of pride and support still to this day of everything that I’m able to do on the court that I represent the city that I grew up in and that it a part of me through and through…Every time I come back (to Charlotte), I beam with pride. and that will always continue”
Steph loves Charlotte. Charlotte loves Steph. How can we make this union happen?
Steph’s under contract with the Warriors through 2025-26, his age-37 season. His cap hit in the final year of his deal will be an astronomical $59.6 million so it’s highly unlikely the Hornets could pull off a trade. Just trying to match salaries in a trade that made sense for both teams would be nearly impossible.
So that leaves us with Steph as a free agent in 2026. By then the Warriors current dynasty could have long since crumbled. Both Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will, like Steph, be on the wrong side of 35 and don’t possess that LeBron James-style body and game to still be playing at an All-Star level by then, provided they’re even still with the Warriors at that point.
So, if the Warriors aren’t competing for championships in 2026 and Steph’s winding down his career at age 38, why not join the Hornets for a year-long love fest? He’s already a surefire Hall of Famer and has made more money than he can spend in several lifetimes, so coming to Charlotte on a team-friendly could work for everybody. His dad could even call his games.
There’s a lot that would need to happen between now and then for Steph Curry to end up in a Hornets jersey one day, so for now it’s just a dream.
In the mean time let’s take hope in remembering that sometimes dreams really do come true.