For the Golden State Warriors, media day will take place on September 28 in San Francisco, at the Chase Center, just before the team heads off to Hawaii for training camp. Around the team, there is a feeling that it’s sometime around that date–probably before–that star guard Stephen Curry will finally decide what he will do about his looming extension decision.
If you missed it, Curry is eligible to sign a new deal with the Warriors this summer, and in normal circumstances, the two sides would come together quickly to sign a max contract extension. But because the Warriors are sitting on a pile of expiring contracts and could potentially make a lot of noise on the free-agent or trade markets in the summer of 2027, Curry has some interesting choices.
Stephen Curry Has Options With the Warriors
Curry has the option of saying he wants to the full max extension from the Warriors, which would be for $137 million over two years. Or, he could take a discount contract, which would eat into the $130 million or so in cap space the Warriors could have next summer, but would still leave plenty of room to attract players.
Or Curry could get crazy and turn down an extension at all, and instead hit free agency and allow the Warriors as much room and flexibility to sign who they want. Draymond Green did something similar this summer by opting out of his final season, and when the Warriors were not able to land top target LeBron James, he still got the full amount he was due.
Stephen Curry Could Take Less Money
The entire NBA world, really, is awaiting the decision Curry will make on the extension with the Warriors.
Warriors beat writer Anthony Slater, speaking on “NBA Today” on ESPN, said the team has left the ball entirely in Curry’s court.
Said Slater: “The Warriors decision-makers made it clear to me in August that they were not going to negotiate with Steph Curry and try to barter with him on the dollar amount. Basically, they gave him a menu of options. If I was going to compare this to eating at a restaurant—they’re like the waiter, they gave Stephen Curry a menu and they walked away for five minutes, in this case a few weeks. They’re allowing Stephen Curry to look at it, you know, does he want a one-year max? Two-year max? Does he want to take a pay cut? Does he want to wait for cap space purposes?
“At some point, Stephen Curry will come back to them and tell them what he wants. If that option is, ‘Hey, let’s wait on it,’ that is because it is about future flexibility.”
Warriors Timeline in Focus
But when, exactly, might we hear the news on Curry’s decision? Slater, like other Warriors beat writers, said that’s likely to come within 10 days or so–just before media day.
Said Slater: “Stephen Curry at some point in the next week and a half will come to some clarity about if he wants to do an extension now or wait.”
Buckle up, then, because Curry’s decision will have a wide-ranging affect not just on the Warriors but on the league in general.
S
Warriors Timeline on $137 Million Stephen Curry Decision Getting Clearer