Long before their partnership transformed the Golden State Warriors into a legendary NBA dynasty with four championships, Steve Kerr envisioned coaching Stephen Curry in a completely different uniform. When Kerr served as general manager and president of basketball operations for the Phoenix Suns, he actively pursued the opportunity to draft the sharpshooting guard out of Davidson College ahead of the 2009 NBA Draft.
The 2009 Draft Strategy in Phoenix
During the spring of 2009, the Phoenix Suns front office explored various roster configurations to inject youth and elite outside shooting into a fast-paced offensive system. According to historical accounts of that draft cycle, Kerr targeted Curry as an ideal fit for the roster, recognizing the guard’s extraordinary shooting range and offensive potential well before most league executives grasped his future ceiling. At the time, the Suns held the 14th overall pick in the first round, a position that placed them within striking distance if certain draft-night dominoes fell their way.
Executing a deal to secure Curry proved complicated. The Minnesota Timberwolves held the 5th and 6th overall selections in the 2009 draft and were widely anticipated to select a guard, though they ultimately passed on Curry twice by drafting Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors held the 7th pick. Negotiations between Phoenix and Golden State took shape behind the scenes, with Kerr exploring trade packages centered around perennial All-Star forward Amund Stoudemire to move up into the lottery and secure the Davidson star.
How Golden State Intervened
Trade discussions involving Stoudemire and the Warriors intensified on the floor of the draft in New York, but talks ultimately stalled before general managers could finalize the paperwork. Golden State retained the seventh selection and used it to draft Curry, pairing him with Monta Ellis in a backcourt that would eventually reshape modern professional basketball. Left without a trade partner, the Suns stood pat at No. 14 and selected forward Earl Clark, missing out on the generational shooter.
Reflecting on that missed opportunity years later, Kerr noted the sliding doors of professional sports management. Had the trade discussions crossed the finish line in 2009, Curry would have begun his career in Arizona alongside Steve Nash and under the guidance of Alvin Gentry, potentially altering the competitive landscape of the Western Conference during the early 2010s.
From Rival Front Office to Bay Area Dynasty
The near-miss in Phoenix turned out to be a temporary detour rather than a permanent separation of paths. Five years after attempting to draft him, Kerr accepted the head coaching position with the Warriors in May 2014, uniting with Curry just as the franchise entered its historic championship window. Together, Kerr and Curry captured NBA titles in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022, cementing a player-coach relationship built on mutual respect and shared offensive philosophy.
As the Warriors prepare for their upcoming regular-season schedule and postseason positioning, the 2009 draft anecdote remains one of the fascinating what-ifs in modern basketball history—a reminder of how close a different Western Conference franchise came to altering the trajectory of the sport’s greatest shooter.
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