Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are slated to open the 2020-21 NBA season in less than two weeks. Curry is now 100% healthy after missing all but five games of the Warriors’ injury-plagued 2019-20 campaign with a broken hand.
Already the face of the Warriors’ franchise, Stephen Curry will attempt to help this organization return to league-wide relevance with fellow three-time NBA champion Klay Thompson sidelined to an Achilles injury.
The backdrop here is Stephen Curry’s current contract situation with the Warriors and the possibility that they look to lock up the all-time great long-term.
New Stephen Curry contract looming for the Warriors
“We have conversations. Everything’s on the table right now,” Curry said earlier this week about a potential extension at the Warriors’ media session. “I got to do what’s right for me and the team in having those conversations. It’s a matter of just letting things play out the way that they should.”
It makes sense for both Curry and the Warriors to work out a long-term extension ahead of the start of the 2020-21 NBA season on Dec. 22. Golden State is slated to take on former Warriors star Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets that evening.
What would a new Stephen Curry contract look like?
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Curry is eligible for a three-year extension worth a whopping $156 million. Here’s how the cap hits would break down on said deal.
- 2022-23: $48.0 million
- 2023-24: $51.9 million
- 2024-25: $55.7 million
That’s a whole lot of bread right there. However, a potential new Stephen Curry contract would cost Warriors a ton more if the team waited a year or two to do it. That’s why there’s a sense of urgency here.
It also appears that Golden State’s brass, led by owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers, are open to extending Curry here soon.
“Sources within the organization said they don’t see a scenario in which the Warriors decline Curry’s request for an extension, whenever it comes, even though he could demand an astronomical number at the back end of his career,” The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson reports.
This makes sense in that the Warriors have not been afraid of spending despite already being over the luxury tax. In fact, their acquisition of Kelly Oubre ended up costing the Warriors over $80 million for just one season. That’s absolutely stunning given that the young wing is slated to earn a mere $14.38 million in 2020-21.
What does that have to do with the Stephen Curry contract situation? It’s rather simple. Golden State is willing to spend. And spend big time. That won’t change here.
Current Stephen Curry contract
As for the 32-year-old Curry’s current contract, he’s playing under a five-year, $201.16 million deal he signed with Golden State back in July of 2017. Curry’s cap hits remaining on the deal are also something else.
- 2020-21: $43.0 million
- 2021:22: $45.78 million
It’s not like adding less than $10 million to these cap hits is going to break the Warriors and their budget. Again, they are going to remain in the luxury tax for the long haul. The economic downtick COVID-19 has caused around the NBA is not going to change this.
It is also important to note that Golden State has handed fellow three-time champs Klay Thompson and Draymond Green extensions since extending Stephen Curry himself.
Klay Thompson contract: Five years, $189.9 million
- 2020-21: $35.36 million
- 2021-22: $37.98 million
- 2022-23: $40.6 million
- 2023-24: $43.22 million
Draymond Green contract: Four years, $99.6 million
- 2020-21: $22.25 million
- 2021-22: $24.03 million
- 2022-23: $25.81 million
- 2023-24: $26.59 million
This doesn’t even take into account the five-year, $147.7 million deal Andrew Wiggins is playing under. Golden State took on his contract after acquiring D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant when Russell was swapped for Wiggins last February.
Yeah, the Warriors are not too worried about money. That will likely lead to a new Stephen Curry contract here soon.
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