During his exit interview on Thursday, in which he met with the media after a roller-coaster season that appeared to acclerate wildly after the trade for star forward Jimmy Butler, only to grind to a halt because of a hamstring injury in the opener of the conference semifinals, it was pointed out to Warriors star Stephen Curry that he is old.
At 37, he is not old in the conventional sense, but in NBA years, he is downright ancient. Curry is the 12th-oldest player in the league, and other than the oldest guy--LeBron James--no other player among the Top 12 is asked to do as much as Curry on a nightly basis. Curry averaged 24.5 points this season.
But Curry also has just two years left on his contract, setting himself up for free agency in 2027. He's no dummy--stars Butler and Draymond Green are also signed through 2027, which means the organization is likely to be ready to pull the plug on the whole works then.
At that point, the expectation is that Curry will walk away and retire. He hinted as much during his presser.
Curry was asked, "Do you view this as like a two-year window? You have two years left on your contract. Is that how you're viewing it?"
To which Curry responded: "Yes, but also I'm just looking forward to next year. As this league reminds you, you see teams that are still alive, you see the injuries that have happened, unfortunately, and nothing is guaranteed in terms of you being competitive or being a contender.
"Yeah, our contracts are all -- me, Draymond, Steve, Jimmy, all two years, and we want this ride to last as long as possible. But it's just about what does this team need for next year, answering those questions over the summer, everybody preparing themselves individually to get through another 82-game season hopefully with a little bit more of a comfort room down the stretch where we don't have to have a two-month gauntlet just to make the playoffs."
Curry pointed out that he has gotten accustomed to people reminding him that at 37, he should not be doing what he is doing.
"It's a reminder of your basketball mortality and appreciating every moment that you have," Curry said. "That's why the way this ended was emotional as it was, not being able to play in those big games because you don't know how many more opportunities you will have."
Two more seasons, it seems. And likely not more.
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