Warriors Star Curry Makes History Twice Over With New Contract

Steph Curry has made plenty of history on the basketball court. On Tuesday, he changed it up a bit and made some history off of it.

The Golden State Warriors All-Star point guard inked a one-of-a-kind contract extension on Aug. 3, the specifics of which will see him paid $215 million over the span of four years. The news was first reported by NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, of ESPN.

“Steph Curry will extend his contract off his $45.8 million salary for 2021-22, which means hea’s now guaranteed $261 million over the next five seasons,” Wojnarowski wrote on Twitter.

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Curry’s New Contract is Historic on Two Fronts

Curry is trailblazing a new financial path in the league in multiple ways with his new contract.

First, he is now the only player in NBA history to sign two deals that were each worth north of $200 million. He also signed a five-year max deal in 2017 worth $201.2 million. That contract will expire following this season.

Second, Curry’s new extension renders his the richest annual salary in the NBA over the next five years. When factoring in the $45.8 million left on his current deal, he will average a little more than $52 million per season in salary over the next half decade, and just under $54 million per season over the four-year life of the contract extension.

The pursuit of Curry by the Warriors, and their willingness to pay him every cent for which the point guard is eligible, was never really in question.

“Obviously, we want Steph back in the worst way,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told media members following the end of Golden State’s season in late May. “There’s no reason to think why that won’t happen. We’re excited about that. We’re excited about next season.”

“You know, coming back with Draymond (Green) and Steph playing at such a high level to finish the season, and to get Klay [(hompson) back and to have the opportunity to fortify our roster, to see these young guys emerge, it’s all very exciting.”

Curry finished last season as the league’s scoring leader, dropping in 32 points per game. He finished third in MVP voting and earned First-Team All-NBA honors for the fourth time in his 12-year professional career.

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Signing Steph is Just the Latest in a Bevy of Warriors Moves

Locking down Curry was priorities one, two, and three for the Warriors. That said, it did not exactly come as a surprise.

What may have surprised Dub Nation is the front office’s inability to maneuver for an All-Star caliber complement to the Warriors’ Big-3 via the trade market. Stymied in their attempts to acquire the likes of a Bradley Beal or a Ben Simmons, Golden State went ahead and drafted Jonathon Kuminga, out of G League Ignite, with the No. 7 pick and Moses Moody, out of the University of Arkansas, with pick No. 14.

The Warriors didn’t make a huge splash on the first day of free agency Monday, but they weren’t idle either, locking down Otto Porter Jr. to a veteran minimum contract to add to their perimeter depth.

At the peak of his powers, Porter was a solid scorer able to defend multiple positions on the floor. The eight-year veteran has a career scoring average of 10.9 points per game but has also poured in points at a significantly higher rate during recent stops in his NBA tenure. He’s also reliable on the glass, pulling down five rebounds per game.

Chris Haynes, of Yahoo Sports, reported that Porter could have signed for a mid-level exception with several other teams but chose Golden State’s culture and promise above a paycheck, meaning the team added him at significant value.

The Warriors on Tuesday also signed Nemanja Bjelica to a one-year veterans minimum deal, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Bjelica is a stretch big man who can shoot from deep. After winning the Euroleague MVP in 2015, Bjelica migrated to the NBA, playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Sacramento Kings before signing on with the Warriors.

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