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Warriors guard Stephen Curry gestures after hitting a three-point shot during the first half of Golden State\u2019s NBA play-in tournament loss against the Suns\u00a0in Phoenix on\u00a0April 17.<\/p>\n
Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Bobby Marks can\u2019t help but remember the fall of the New Jersey Nets when he thinks about the Golden State Warriors<\/a>. They didn\u2019t win a ring two decades ago, when Marks was rising through the Nets\u2019 front office. They made two straight NBA Finals (2002, \u201903), and they missed on six straight first-round picks. They tied up money in Jason Kidd and later Vince Carter, when both had hit 30. And they then fell to suffering one of the worst seasons in\u00a0NBA history\u00a0\u2014 12-70\u00a0\u2014 in 2009-10.<\/p>\n \u201cI lived through it, man,\u201d Marks, now ESPN\u2019s NBA front office insider and formerly the Nets\u2019 assistant GM, told the Chronicle. \u201cWhen it doesn\u2019t work, when you don\u2019t draft great, or maybe players just don\u2019t work out for whatever reason\u00a0\u2014 there is a loud thud, from a roster-building standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n The thud may hit in Golden State whenever Stephen Curry<\/a> walks off the floor at Chase Center for the last time. On Saturday, the 38-year-old Curry becomes eligible for the fifth contract extension of his career, likely his last. There\u2019s not a dominant young cadre waiting to step in: All but one (Moses Moody<\/a>) of the Warriors\u2019 six first-round picks from 2018-22 are on other NBA rosters or out of the league.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Golden State\u2019s ability to sustain any kind of championship foundation, now, will trace in large part directly back to any deal their franchise icon signs at some point between Saturday and June 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Curry part,\u201d Marks said, \u201cdictates what the Warriors\u2019 flexibility is.\u201d<\/p>\n The Warriors superstar is playing this season on a $62.5 million contract, and he will be eligible for a maximum two-year, $136.7 million deal on Saturday.\u00a0Both Curry and the Warriors have given no public indication<\/a> that there will be complications in extension talks. Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy<\/a> said in early August that Curry wants to \u201cfinish his career as a Warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But there are plenty of interesting nuances to the negotiations of Curry\u2019s anticipated new deal, and how they shape Golden State\u2019s future. The Chronicle consulted Marks\u00a0\u2014 an expert on the\u00a0NBA\u2019s collective bargaining agreement\u00a0\u2014 and several NBA agents on the key questions at play.<\/p>\n How many years will Curry sign for?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with one unmistakable reality, for a four-time NBA champion and 12-time All-Star who currently drives the top-end value of a Warriors home ticket.<\/p>\n \u201cI think at the end of the day,\u201d Marks said, \u201che basically writes the terms, as far as what his next deal is going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n With 4,248 regular-season 3-pointers, Stephen Curry is far ahead of his closest pursuer, the Cleveland\u00a0Cavaliers\u2019 James Harden (3,390).<\/p>\n Carlos Avila Gonzalez\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n To a point, at least. Under the CBA\u2019s \u201cOver-38\u201d rule, as Marks explained, Curry currently can\u2019t sign an extension that would take him beyond the 2028-29 season. If he didn\u2019t want to sign an extension now\u00a0\u2014 more on this later\u00a0\u2014 Curry could sign a new three-year deal worth up to $207 million total, as Marks laid out. That seems unlikely, given that four more years in the NBA would see Curry at age 42. But LeBron James is about to play a season at 42, so anything\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe, two years,\u201d one\u00a0NBA agent said on condition of anonymity. \u201cI think after that, you\u2019re really handcuffing yourself to what he could be in three years.\u201d<\/p>\n If the franchise icon wants to play three more seasons, though, it\u2019s hard to envision Golden State saying no.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t not pay him and give him what he wants,\u201d that agent put it, \u201cas long as he wants to play.\u201d<\/p>\n In one scenario\u00a0\u2014 as James has commonly done on shorter-term deals\u00a0\u2014 Curry could sign a one-year extension with a player option for another season. That would be unprecedented, though, as Curry has never once had an option on three previous extensions.<\/p>\n \nWhat about the knee?\u00a0\n<\/p>\n After missing two full months\u00a0last season with\u00a0patellofemoral pain syndrome\u00a0\u2014 runner\u2019s knee\u00a0\u2014 Curry hasn\u2019t expressed full confidence in that right knee in public conversations. In July, the Chronicle asked him<\/a> point-blank whether he was confident it wouldn\u2019t become an issue again next season.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cYou only know what you know,\u201d Curry said then, \u201cbut I\u2019m confident I\u2019m doing everything I can (for the knee) and taking advantage of the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy said in early August that Stephen Curry, whom the franchise drafted seventh overall in 2009, wants to \u201cfinish his career as a Warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n Santiago Mejia\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Dr. Kenton Fibel, an orthopedic specialist and the head team physician for the NHL\u2019s Anaheim Ducks, told the Chronicle that the factors and severities within that runner\u2019s knee diagnosis vary. \u201cMany times,\u201d though, that can involve a breakdown of the cartilage in the knee, as Fibel said. And if Curry and the Warriors\u2019 medical team have identified the specific area of the joint that\u2019s affected, the key is developing a regimen to limit and reduce inflammation, as Fibel pointed out.<\/p>\n Would that give Golden State pause in offering Curry a two-year extension? Probably not. But it is a factor.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you have to take that into consideration,\u201d Fibel said, \u201cwhen you\u2019re looking at the length of contracts for any athlete. Obviously, Steph offers so much not only just on the court, but off the court, to the team and the franchise. And so, I think it\u2019s really trying to find\u00a0\u2014 can you make it where these flare-ups are maybe still going to happen occasionally, but is it something that still allows him to be on the court more frequently?\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Could he take a pay cut? And would he?<\/p>\n At the moment, Golden State is facing a unique short-term financial future, with the lowest salary commitments of any NBA team involving players signed for 2027-28. They also have the highest amount of cap-hold commitments, or money projected to go to their own impending free agents.<\/p>\n \u201cCap space,\u201d Marks said, \u201cis also fool\u2019s gold, sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n At age 38, Warriors guard Stephen Curry is eligible to sign a contract extension that could be the last of his illustrious career.<\/p>\n Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Jimmy Butler<\/a> will be a free agent. Draymond Green<\/a>, too. Brandin Podziemski<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 whom Dunleavy said in early August the Warriors want to extend\u00a0\u2014 will be a free agent. Curry\u2019s impending big-money deal could significantly squeeze the Warriors\u2019 ability to both keep core players and add new pieces around him.<\/p>\n<\/a>
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