In today’s Dub Hub:
- Steph Curry pushes back on tanking concerns, says the NBA is “in a great place.”
- The Athletic’s Nick Friedell outlines how the Warriors can maximize the rest of the season despite a lack of playoff expectations.
- The 2026 NBA All-Star Game drew 8.8 million viewers, its largest audience since 2011.
Stephen Curry isn’t buying into the idea that tanking is a major problem in today’s NBA.
When asked what the league should do to reduce teams intentionally losing for draft position, the Golden State Warriors star pushed back on the premise itself, pointing to the level of competition across the league.
Curry also noted that the regular season still carries real weight through seeding battles and the playoff chase, adding that if there’s an issue worth more attention, it might be the length of the schedule rather than tanking.
“There still is relevancy regular season-wise of the seeding and playoff chase,” Curry said. “I know there’s a conversation around how many games we’re playing. That’s probably where I would focus more of the attention.”
The tanking conversation has picked up this season in part for several reasons. The upcoming draft class is widely viewed as a strong one, giving struggling teams or teams who have traded protected picks added incentive to prioritize lottery positioning. At the same time, the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement has placed a premium on young players on rookie-scale deals, making cheap, controllable talent more valuable than ever for teams trying to manage the cap and avoid harsh luxury-tax penalties.
Even with those pressures, Curry’s message was clear: the big picture focus on the game itself still matters.
“Let’s not forget the league is in a great place overall in terms of the attention, the skill level, the global reach, all of that stuff,” Curry said.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, February 17th:
Warriors News:
Post-All-Star break could be fun for Warriors team devoid of playoff expectations | The Athletic
If Porziņģis’ two-month tryout with the Warriors goes well, they can try and find a way to re-sign him, something general manager Mike Dunleavy acknowledged as a possibility during his post-deadline news conference. It also allows for the possibility that Porziņģis’ new deal could be used as a sign-and-trade for a bigger star over the summer. Either way, the Warriors are banking on Porziņģis finding his form because it’s in the best interest of the player and the organization. Whether Porziņģis stays with Golden State or not, he has to prove to the rest of the league that he can stay on the floor and produce.
Warriors star Steph Curry shares thoughtful outlook on eventual NBA retirement | NBC Sports Bay Area
“Every time you do something cool, it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re the oldest to do such and such’ or ‘You’re the oldest point guard to fill in the blank,’ ” Curry told PEOPLE. “So I wear all of those things like a badge of honor, because I know how much work goes into it— to play this game that I love.”
Steph Curry reacts to alleged inspiration behind the villain in his new movie GOAT
NBA News:
Cuban: NBA should ’embrace tanking’ to improve fan experience | ESPN
“When I got into the nba, they thought they were in the basketball business. They aren’t. They are in the business of creating experiences for fans,” he said.
To Cuban, a good fan experience also includes affordability.
“You know who cares the least about tanking , a parent who cant afford to bring their 3 kids to a game and buy their kids a jersey of their fave player,” he wrote. “[The NBA] should worry more about pricing fans out of games than tanking.”
NBA All-Star Game drew an average of 8.8 million viewers
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Warriors sign Nate Williams to two-way contract
Being 27 years old, Williams is a bit on the older side but does have a bit of experience as an NBA contributor. However, it remains unlikely that he will see actual rotation minutes outside of garbage time situations this season.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.