![\"Stephen](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-1485626166-e1786387458571.jpg\")
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Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors <\/p>\n
Stephen Curry<\/a>\u2018s impact on the Golden State Warriors<\/a> goes well beyond what shows up in the box score. One of the league\u2019s most influential agents thinks the compensation structure should reflect that. Speaking on the \u201cGame Over\u201d podcast,<\/a> Rich Paul<\/a> made the case that Curry deserves more than just a traditional contract for what he\u2019s meant to the franchise.<\/p>\n Rich Paul Makes the Case for Curry\u2019s Ownership Stake<\/p>\n \n Paul argued that Curry\u2019s situation mirrors what top executives at major companies receive. He pointed out that stock options and profit-sharing are standard tools used to reward people whose work directly grows a company\u2019s value.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, in Fortune 500 or Fortune 100 companies, and you are an executive at a specific level, you get stock and things like that, and that\u2019s able to grow and compound over time\u2026 You [players] cannot invest in a team, but they do have a direct correlation to a team\u2019s compounding in terms of value\u2026 All players aren\u2019t created equal in this situation. But in someone like Steph\u2019s case, he definitely moves the needle when it pertains to the value of an organization,\u201d Paul said.<\/a><\/p>\n Co-host Max Kellerman<\/a> pushed back slightly, suggesting Curry\u2019s influence has lifted the NBA\u2019s overall brand more than Golden State specifically.<\/a> Paul didn\u2019t back down from his point. He expanded on everything he believes Curry brings to the organization beyond his on-court production, from his pregame routine to his professionalism and showmanship. He argued that in a corporate setting, someone with that level of impact would receive a full compensation package. That would include a bonus, potential profit share, and vesting stock options, on top of a standard salary.<\/p>\n Paul also drew a comparison to Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> owner Steve Ballmer<\/a>. Ballmer built his fortune as Microsoft\u2019s former CEO through stock compensation before eventually using that wealth to purchase an NBA<\/a> franchise. In Paul\u2019s view, there\u2019s no clear reason a similar structure couldn\u2019t exist for players who generate that kind of value for their own organizations.<\/p>\n Rich Paul a player like Steph Curry who should be able to take stock options or a profit-sharing cut with the Golden State Warriors, given how much he\u2019s increased the team\u2019s value and moved the needle for them over the years <\/p>\n Why the Numbers Back Up Paul\u2019s Argument<\/p>\n \n Paul pointed to a broader shift in how modern athletes and their representatives think about compensation. He credited increased financial literacy and access to information for changing how players approach these conversations compared to past generations.<\/p>\n The numbers behind the argument are hard to ignore. When Joe Lacob<\/a> and Peter Guber<\/a> purchased the Warriors in 2010, the franchise was valued at roughly $450 million. Nearly 16 years later, that number has climbed to somewhere between $10 and $11 billion. That jump coincides almost entirely with Curry\u2019s rise to superstardom.<\/p>\n Final Word for the Warriors<\/p>\n Curry\u2019s eligibility for a two-year, $136.7 million extension<\/a> already reflects a franchise willing to pay him at the top of the market. Whether that\u2019s enough given his broader impact is exactly the debate Paul is raising.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tKeith Watkins<\/a> Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry\u2018s impact on the Golden State Warriors goes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":810554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3786],"tags":[7,479,164,4025,4024,6,255],"class_list":["post-830673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golden-state-warriors","tag-basketball","tag-golden-state","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-goldenstate","tag-goldenstatewarriors","tag-nba","tag-warriors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117235314124397502","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=830673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/810554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=830673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=830673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=830673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Stephen](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787230821_GettyImages-2186361263-e1787229773871.jpg\")
GettyStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.\n<\/p>\n![\"Rich](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2254811287_778e9c-e1784656229628.jpg\")
GettyKlutch Sports CEO Rich Paul speaks with longtime client LeBron James<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n