Stephen Curry will be a free agent in 2017.
And he doesn’t really care.
The Sporting News’ Jimmy Spencer asked the reigning MVP and championship-toting Curry about his upcoming free agency, and about whether he would prefer to sign an early extension (like Kevin Durant did) or enter the feeding frenzy he and others would create two summers from now.
Not surprisingly, Curry went the diplomatic route with his answer, making it clear he has no intention of leaving the Golden State Warriors, or even thinking about his eventual free-agent nuptials:
“As I am thinking right now, free agency isn’t really appealing to me because I love where I’m at, love the organization I’m playing for, and the Bay Area is home for me and my family,” Curry said.
…
“It helps being world champs and you want to continue to build the momentum that we’ve established and I hope to have a huge part of that in the long term,” Curry said in an interview at a golf event to promote Degree Men. “But I think the best approach for me is to try and stay as in the moment as possible.
“Everybody in this league is going to have many decisions to make, and you’ll be in a lot of different situations throughout your career, so in order to enjoy the ride, you kind of have to not get too ahead of yourself and just stay in the moment.”
There’s not much else Curry can say on this topic that wouldn’t send the NBA stratosphere into a years-long tizzy. Of course he wants to remain with the Warriors. They’re not even three months removed from a title, and he was the best player on one of the best teams in league history.
Not to mention there’s still so much time before it’s even an actual concern. Curry, unlike many of his peers, doesn’t have a player option or early termination option. He’s under lock and key through 2016-17.
Don’t expect him to re-up early either. Extensions favor the teams financially, and Curry is set to enter free agency once the salary cap exceeds $105 million. When 2017 rolls around, he’ll be just 29 years old, still in his prime. A max deal at that time will more than double the $11.4 million he’s slated to earn next season.
After sacrificing so much cash in his last extension, coming off his rookie deal, there’s no way Curry takes another discount. Four years and $44 million was his going rate a few years ago, as he was dealing with serial ankle injuries while playing for a bad Warriors squad, but he’s not the same player anymore. He’s an MVP who doesn’t even rank in the top 60 of individual salary for 2015-16.
That’s absurd. And his curbed career earnings to this point will play a part in his decision to explore free agency in 2017.
What he does once he reaches the open market and fields multiple max-contract offers is, technically, still an unknown.
Unofficially, though, he won’t actually go anywhere.
