Steph Curry's next contract is about to become very real. Starting Aug. 29, the 38-year-old point guard becomes eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million extension with the Warriors, and according to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, Golden State isn't going to negotiate hard against its own franchise legend.
The Warriors are open to any potential contract extension Steph Curry wants, via ClutchPoints' @BrettSiegelNBA: "Curry will become eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million contract extension beginning on Aug. 29. From the Warriors' point of view, they will be presenting their superstar with any deal he wants and looking to lock him in for the immediate future. At the same time, Golden State's management is not worried about the idea of Steph taking his time and potentially even pushing off contract talks until next summer, when he would be an unrestricted free agent. From an organizational standpoint, this is obviously not an ideal scenario, but it could ultimately be favorable if Curry is willing to take a discount on a new deal. "The Warriors are open to any deal Curry wants, and both sides will be on the same page about the future, whether he takes an extension now or waits to sign a new deal until next offseason." (via t.co/RzZzxCCvTT)
The report says the Warriors are prepared to hand Curry whatever extension he wants once the window opens, and they're not sweating it if he decides to slow-play the whole thing. If Curry lets the date pass without signing, he'd hit unrestricted free agency next summer instead, which is its own kind of leverage for a guy who's earned the right to dictate terms.
That patience from the front office lines up with what's being reported elsewhere. ESPN's Brian Windhorst has floated an even bolder idea on Get Up: don't sign Curry to the extension at all. Windhorst's pitch is for the Warriors to let Curry walk into free agency next summer, give Draymond Green only a one-year deal in the meantime, and use the roughly $90 million in cleared cap space to remake the roster around Curry rather than lock in another $65-70 million annual number for the next 2 years.
It's a radical suggestion for a team that has never shown any real interest in life without Curry running the show, and it's unlikely the Warriors blow up their own timeline just to chase cap flexibility. But it underscores why Aug. 29 matters beyond the dollar figure: whatever Curry decides shapes how aggressive Golden State can be for the rest of his career, and possibly the rest of the Draymond-Curry era.
For now, the ball is in Curry's court, literally. Nothing about his approach to Golden State over 17 seasons suggests he's angling to leave, and a max extension that runs through his age-40 season would be the clearest signal yet that he intends to finish exactly where he started. Whether he signs on Day 1 of eligibility or waits out the year, the number and the timeline are locked. The only question left is when he wants to make it official.