Steph Curry’s extension decision could define the Warriors’ season.
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All the power, as it usually does, resides in Stephen Curry’s hands.
Saturday, Aug. 29, marks the first day the 38-year-old superstar can sign a max extension with the Golden State Warriors. As he prepares for his 18th season, Curry is entering the final year of his current contract, worth nearly $63 million. The Warriors have made no secret, through general manager Mike Dunleavy’s repeated public statements over the last year, that they would like to get another deal done with Curry before the new season begins. They know he’s the franchise, and they know what he represents to the organization and the Bay Area as a whole.
For his part, Curry has repeatedly said through the years — and reiterated after the season — he would be open to inking a new deal. On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer. The Warriors want Curry, and Curry has long maintained that he wants to wear only one jersey throughout his career.
That is why the real intrigue begins if the future Hall of Famer doesn’t sign a new deal before the season starts.
There has been frustration from within the Warriors’ fan base that the cap-strapped team didn’t do more this summer to shake up a roster that missed the playoffs last year. But the ultimate barometer of just how high that frustration goes is, and always will be, Curry himself.
If Curry signs an extension before the season, it would be the clearest indication yet that he still trusts that Dunleavy and owner Joe Lacob will do everything in their power to maximize the final years of his career.
The Warriors should have considerably more flexibility a summer from now when there’s additional cap space and a cadre of future first-round picks could give them a chance to do more roster-shuffling than they accomplished over the last few months. But they took a high-profile swing this summer in the pursuit of LeBron James and came up empty, leaving Curry with largely the same supporting cast as a year ago.
That includes Steve Kerr, who signed a two-year extension this summer, and Draymond Green, who re-upped on a one-year deal. If Curry doesn’t sign, though, then all the speculation and hand-wringing surrounding the Warriors — from not only the fan base, but also throughout the basketball world — will rise to a fever pitch.
The overwhelming likelihood has always been that Curry will sign and the Warriors will go about business as usual, with him as the focal point of everything they do. But if he waits, whether as a statement about the roster or simply because he wants to see what happens next, the uncertainty would create the type of lingering distraction that will hover over the group until there is resolution.
That’s the catch-22 Curry faces.
He’s never been the type of player to publicly rock the boat, even when he’s unhappy with a situation. More often, he lets his actions on the floor do more of the talking than his words into a microphone. This latest chapter of his legendary career, and the choice that comes with this particular decision, will follow the same script.
With one more signature on the dotted line, Curry locks in his future with the only team he’s ever known. He publicly signs off on the direction in the present, and whatever may come over the final few years of his storied career. In return, the Warriors secure the greatest player in franchise history and one of the most bankable stars the league has ever seen.
Curry played only 43 games last season because of various injuries, including a lingering knee issue that caused him to miss two months. But throughout his career, he has understood the power of his words and his actions. He knows every move he makes is watched and analyzed. He knows how much attention he commands and how much the Warriors stand out among their peers. That’s why he knows exactly what kind of message it would send if the new deal isn’t worked out.
Would he be willing to turn down that kind of security and spend the season answering questions about his future? Or does he trust the Warriors enough to commit now and leave the organization’s next major decisions for another day?
Only Curry knows.
For years, almost everything the Warriors have done has revolved around him. Now, as they try to determine what the final chapter of this era will look like, Curry once again gets to decide where it begins.
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Nick Friedell is a Senior Writer for The Athletic covering the Golden State Warriors and the NBA. Nick spent 14 years at ESPN covering the NBA, most notably as a reporter as well as a TV and radio commentator. He is a graduate of The Newhouse School at Syracuse University. You can follow Nick on X @NickFriedell.
