How the Warriors 38-Year-Old Superstar’s Bold Decision Will Pay Off Beyond 2026

Stephen Curry has finally made his decision on a topic I’ve flagged for NBA fans to watch. As the offseason ends, deciding whether to extend his current contract past its 2027 expiration wasn’t straightforward. With multiple possibilities on the table, the franchise’s best player ever chose to give back to the team that believed in him since the 2009 Draft Day. Curry will remain, and most likely finish out his career, at the Bay through the 2028-2029 season if he picks up his option on this one-plus-one deal. He will earn $116 million during that time period, with the bigger salary hit not kicking in until two offseasons from now.

The first thing that someone can point out is the large sum of money the soon-to-be 39-year-old weapon will make. Diving deeper into his contract, or rather how it could’ve ended up, the four-time NBA champion selflessly passed on demanding roughly $20 million on top of what he’ll already earn. This may not seem like a ton of dollars given the agreed price tag, let alone the athlete’s career earnings, but it will greatly help Golden State. The Warriors will have a larger spending budget to attract free agents after the upcoming season wraps up, filling up any team needs that may arise during this campaign. A potentially greater benefit is the breathing room Mike Dunleavy’s front office will receive with the salary cap. By taking up less of the payroll, the structure of Curry’s deal may save the Warriors from breaching certain thresholds that would trigger more financial penalties.

Locking up the greatest shooter of all time for a few more years also unlocks Golden State to think long-term. They won’t have to replace Curry right away, which gives incoming rookies and younger talents like Brandin Podziemski more time to develop. Even more, this move lets Dunleavy finally fine-tune the balance between old and new. Golden State has struggled to find a solution to balance this scale, which has partly led to the team’s stagnant performances. As a speculative observer, I’d expect the legendary sharpshooter to further tap into his role as a mentor, especially as his career reaches its final stages. If the identity beyond this era relies on another superstar, or a mix of players of the same caliber, that won’t be an answer we’d get from one day to another.