Stephen Curry closer to ending career with Warriors after contract extension

The potential downside here is that Curry has been limited by injuries in recent years, and it has become harder for the team to build a championship-caliber roster around him. Especially as other core parts of those winning teams have either also started to age or moved on to different teams. 

The $116 million price tag is obviously a huge number, but it is $20 million less than the maximum that he could have asked for, and almost certainly received from ownership. 

When Curry is healthy, he is still an excellent shooter and scorer, but not quite at the same level he was at his peak. 

Over the past two years, his 3-point success rate has dropped under 40%, but remains a very strong 39%. 

But there is still that gigantic elephant in the room that is the question of whether or not they can build a contending team around a player in their late 30s, who is also making over $58 million per season. Recent history for the Warriors suggests it may not be feasible. The Warriors have missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, while Curry is coming off a 2025-26 season that saw him appear in just 43 games. 

This is the delicate balance teams have to strike when keeping icons and also trying to build the best team possible every year. 

Curry did leave $20 million on the table to spread around the roster, but that might not be enough to make a huge difference. 

But if you are the Warriors, or a Warriors fan, Curry's given you the best era in the history of the franchise and several championship parades. Those banners hang forever, and if he wants to stay, and if everybody else wants him to stay, maybe that's the trade-off you have to take after all of that success.