Before Stephen Curry’s two-year, $116MM extension with the Warriors was announced Friday night, he expressed confidence in the organization during an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio, relays Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. Even with an older roster, Curry believes Golden State is capable of challenging for another NBA title.

“You could ask me, you could ask (coach) Steve Kerr, you could ask Draymond (Green), we still believe that we can be that team,” Curry said. “I think our challenge now is to reimagine what that looks like. And, you know, we have a veteran team. We need health on our side. … You can’t just roll the ball out and be like, ‘Oh, we’re the Warriors. We’re gonna win.’ Nah, it’s let’s embrace the challenge of figuring out what this team needs to do to win. And as long as I’m on the squad, Draymond, Steve, I feel like we all have that shared mentality.”

Curry admitted that the nightly grind of the league is more difficult than it used to be when he was younger, especially after physical ailments limited him to 43 games last season. He also understands that the end of his career is looming, even with the new contract in place.

“I think about the end of the road every day,” Curry said. “I think that’s okay. I think that’s a motivator, right? Like, it’s an idea that … you can’t just not get whatever you need to do out of every single day and not have the most fun and joy when I’m out there playing because wins and losses, I’m the most competitive guy in the room, I wanna win every game, but I also wanna enjoy myself and what I’m doing. And I can only enjoy myself if I’m prepared for what I need to do out there on the floor. So it all kinda goes hand in hand. And if I don’t acknowledge the end, I think I won’t appreciate the now, if that makes sense.”

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Curry’s extension is $20.7MM below the maximum amount that he was eligible to get, which gives the team some financial flexibility for the future, observes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Golden State could have more than $60MM to spend on a strong free agent class next summer, providing a path to land another star for the end of Curry’s career. Curry discussed his physical condition earlier this week after a lingering battle with “runner’s knee” affected him late last season, Poole adds in a separate story. Curry said he has adopted a new workout strategy to build strength in the knee heading into training camp, and he’s currently “feeling fantastic.”
Green and Jimmy Butler have both expressed interest in retiring with the Warriors, but they might have to be willing to accept smaller contracts to make that happen, states Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Both players have expiring deals entering this season, with Green at $27.7MM and Butler at $56.8MM.
Gary Payton II doesn’t mind being overlooked in the Western Conference playoff race, saying the team has a feeling similar to 2021/22 when it exceeded expectations and brought home another title, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We’re not expected to do anything, but we still got a pretty good veteran core, and we got some talented young guys,” Payton said. “The goal this year, the motto for me, is stay healthy and have fun.”