The Golden State Warriors’ goal for a drama-free offseason seemed to be working until Stephen Jackson declared Friday that wants to be traded.

“Um,” Jackson, 31, said before the crowd at a block party in New York. “I don’t think I’ll be a Warrior next year. I’m looking to leave.”
If that wasn’t enough, his ensuing interview with Dime Magazine officially brought drama into the Warriors offseason.
“I’m just looking to go somewhere where I can go and win a championship,” Jackson told Dime Magazine. “I’m 31 years old. I have four or five years left, I want to be in a situation where I can continually be in the playoffs and get another ring. So that’s where my mind is at now.”
Because of the size of Jackson’s contract, which has more than $35 million left the next four years, and the fact every other team now realizes he wants out, trading Jackson would be a difficult task for the Warriors. But having Jackson around when he doesn’t want to be with the franchise may be a more daunting task.
The Warriors’ campaign this summer has been all about peace and unity and positive chemistry. New general manager Larry Riley even pulled coach Don Nelson off Maui to go visit embattled guard Monta Ellis so they can all “get on the same page.”
Despite Jackson’s bombshell, Riley still is convinced the Warriors will have a good training camp.
“Obviously, it would’ve been better if it had not happened,” Riley said in a phone interview from Dallas on Saturday. “We’ve been doing a lot of work this summer. But, in due time, everything will work out.”
Riley, per team policy, declined to comment on trade discussions or confirm whether the Warriors have started shopping him. Jackson could not be reached for comment, but team sources said he has been unhappy for some time. A couple of his former teammates said Jackson has yet to fully get over the Warriors losing point guard Baron Davis.
The team’s 29-53 record last season certainly didn’t help Jackson’s mood, not to mention the relentless drama — the bitter departure of his best friend (forward Al Harrington), Jackson’s early season feud with coach Nelson, and the highly publicized front-office beef.
But last season’s troubles seemed to be old news, especially publicly. Jackson has been hanging with Ellis all summer, strengthening their bond as the team’s two best players. Jackson got married in July and, rumor has it, he’s put on some muscle.
But one team source said Jackson — coming off what he called a career year (20.7 points, 6.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 39.6 minutes) — doesn’t want to waste his final years in Golden State, a team he thinks is far from serious contention.
Jackson, who didn’t have an agent when he signed his contract extension in October, hired Mark Stevens, who also represents Ron Artest, to help him get to “either Cleveland, anywhere in Texas or out here with Al in New York,” Jackson told Dime Magazine.
Jackson, of course, is a self-described emotional person who is not above flipping the script and professing his love for the Warriors. But if he really wants out, there’s a high probability the Warriors’ hopes for a drama free offseason just disappeared.