As of August 29, Stephen Curry is eligible to sign at most a two-year, $136.7 million deal, which the Warriors are reportedly happy to offer him at this point in his career, despite his age of 38.
Under the Over 38 rule in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), any player over 38 can sign only a two-year contract with the same team that employs them, or a three-year contract if they become a free agent.
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Therefore, Stephen Curry, who turns 39 in March 2027, will become eligible for a three-year extension next summer valued at over $200 million, which may be why Curry is waiting.
There is also a chance he may want to test free agency at least once in his career to contend for a championship, since he is not expected to leverage his contract extension into forcing the Warriors to make roster changes. But there is an ‘overwhelming likelihood’ that Stephen Curry will retire with the Warriors.
“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,” noted Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
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Even Brett Siegel, the NBA insider with ClutchPoints, says Stephen Curry may be waiting to become an unrestricted free agent so he can sign for more money.
“Whether or not Steph takes that or if he takes a discount, the ball is totally in his court… They’ll be on the same page as far as what type of contract extension this is going to look like, and also, if he wants to put off a potential contract extension and wait until next offseason, where he’ll enter unrestricted free agency, and they can negotiate a long-term deal there to make him a Warrior for life.”
“He’s not going to be leaving the Golden State Warriors. They’re not going to trade him. They’ve had no conversations about that; he’s not approaching the Warriors about that. He’s going to be retiring with the Warriors,” Siegel said on Clutch Scoops with Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
We are seeing a pattern among superstars delaying contract extensions with teams to whom they have given their entire NBA careers to maximize their career earnings.
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On one hand, we have players like Nikola Jokic, who is also delaying his contract extension while hoping to amass $800 million in career earnings, and has also reassured the Nuggets that he would like to retire in Denver. And on the other hand, we have players who have been traded, like Jalen Brunson and LeBron James, who took pay cuts to help build a championship-contending roster.
Players can also choose to be like Draymond Green, who has been with the Warriors throughout his career and was rumored to be willing to take a pay cut if it meant adding LeBron James to the Warriors. But when that did not happen, he got the money he deserved.
Hence, this potential trend is limited to an exclusive list of first-option stars with Bird rights like Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid, who can say they have been loyal to the same team that drafted them for their entire careers.
It will be interesting to hear what Stephen Curry says once he signs an extension, since we expect he won’t say much until he makes up his mind.
You can view the original article HERE.
