For two and a half seasons, Monta Ellis and Steph Curry coexisted in the Warriors.
But the team found no success with the reduced-size backcourt duo.
So in the mid-2011-12 season, the Warriors split the pair by trading Ellis and Ekpe Udoh with the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
That move was the beginning of a revitalization on the field for the Warriors. Curry was free to take control of the team, and the franchise has reached heights he could only dream of in the past eight years.
Ellis was a Dub Nation fan favorite, so the trade hurt. But former Warriors executive Jerry West believes Curry is who he is today because of the Ellis trade.
“I think when there was an exchange there, it gave him more room to do things and also have the ball in his hands,” West said at 95.7 on Friday. Damon Bruce, Ray Ratto and Matt Kolsky of The Game. “If you have someone who can do something really well and you don’t have the ball in your hands or you don’t have players to congratulate you, it is more difficult to achieve the excellence you have achieved.”
“A very popular player during my time there, Monta Ellis was traded and for me, that opened up [Curry’s] ability to become who you are today. I think it made him more confident. They were not a good couple, I think, and they were both excellent players, really excellent players. But I think Steph was the person with the most growth left to him, and when Monta left, you’re seeing Steph Curry today. “
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The next season, the Warriors began a streak of seven straight playoff appearances. Curry’s greatness began to shine and it quickly became apparent that the Warriors made the right decision to trade Ellis.
With Klay Thompson taking over as shooting guard alongside Curry, the duo formed one of the deadliest tracks the NBA has ever seen.
[[[[RELATED: Steph wears Monta’s shirt for the Oracle finale]Curry would win the NBA MVP award in 2014-15 and 2015-16 while guiding the Warriors to three NBA titles and five consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals.
The NBA has been revolutionized by Curry in the past decade, and it might not have happened if the Warriors had clung to Ellis.
