Saturday marks a key date for Stephen Curry, and that alone is enough to keep Celtics fans watching the calendar.
Beginning Aug. 29, the two-time MVP becomes eligible to sign an extension with the Golden State Warriors. ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that Curry, 38, can put pen to paper on a maximum two-year, $136.7 million deal that would run through June 30, 2027. Because of the NBA’s Over-38 rule, that extension cannot stretch past the 2028-29 season.
If Curry decides to hold off and reach free agency next summer instead, the path changes. At that point, he could sign a new three-year contract. Right now, the 2026-27 season is the final year on his current deal, which means he would be set up to hit unrestricted free agency in the 2027 offseason.
That’s where the speculation starts to breathe.
Even if Curry’s plan is still to finish his career in Golden State, the noise gets louder if he doesn’t extend this offseason. As The Athletic’s Nick Friedell wrote, "The overwhelming likelihood has always been that Curry will sign and the Warriors will go about business as usual, with him as the focal point of everything they do," wrote The Athletic's Nick Friedell. "But if he waits, whether as a statement about the roster or simply because he wants to see what happens next, the uncertainty would create the type of lingering distraction that will hover over the group until there is resolution."
That uncertainty is exactly why some Celtics fans briefly let themselves dream.
In late July, a rumor spread across social media claiming Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens had called the Warriors to float a trade for Curry. It wasn’t true; it was another example of aggregation taking a bad turn.
Still, that didn’t stop the speculation from building when Curry was later spotted on the same golf course as Jayson Tatum. Golden State also added a little fuel of its own by saying that if Curry ever came to them with a trade request, they would discuss it.
None of that means Curry is on his way to Boston. There is still no credible reporting connecting the Celtics and the Warriors on a deal. But if Curry waits on that extension, or pushes the decision into next summer, the fantasy will keep hanging around for fans imagining him in green and white.
In Other News...
Kyrie Irving Is Back In A Celtics Trade Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Kyrie Irving is back in the middle of a familiar kind of NBA conversation, this time because of what the Mavericks might do as they map out the roster around Cooper Flagg. Irvings recent injury and his age are part of the discussion, and the idea of reshaping Dallas with an eye toward future assets has reopened a trade framework that pulls Boston and Golden State into the mix. For Celtics fans, it is the kind of proposal that instantly gets attention because it touches both the present and the long view.
The speculative deal would send pieces and draft capital in different directions, with Dallas looking to stockpile flexibility while Boston and the Warriors would be trying to address specific roster needs. It is the sort of three-team concept that rarely stays hypothetical for long once it starts circulating, especially with Irving involved, because his name still carries both the history of his Celtics stint and the practical question of what kind of value he could return in a broader swap. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchard Now Faces A Celtics Role That Changes Everything
The Celtics backcourt has taken on a different shape with the addition of veteran guard Mike Conley, a move that gives Boston another steady hand behind the point while also nudging Payton Pritchard into a far larger spotlight. Conley is expected to handle backup point guard duties in limited minutes, and that reshuffle leaves Pritchard positioned to step out of his familiar sixth man role and into the starting five.
For Pritchard, the change is more than a lineup tweak. His minutes should rise, and so should the offensive burden that comes with playing alongside the first unit, where Boston will lean on him differently than it did off the bench. The Celtics have seen him work in both roles before, but this is the sort of assignment that changes how the rest of the rotation flows around him, and it will be one of the more interesting subplots as the roster settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Might Be Exactly What Tatum Still Needs
Paul Georges resume still carries real weight. A six-time All-NBA selection and nine-time All-Star, he has spent much of his career as a primary scorer on teams good enough to reach the conference finals, and even at 36 he has continued to produce at a level that keeps him in the conversation as more than just a name on paper. Over the past two seasons, he has averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 made 3s per game, a reminder that his game still travels well even as the role around him changes.
For the Celtics, the appeal is obvious: George brings shooting, size and the kind of two-way versatility that can ease pressure on Jayson Tatum without asking for the spotlight to shift. Boston has plenty of reasons to value players who can score without needing every possession, and Georges ability to complement elite talent makes him an intriguing fit on paper. The bigger question is whether that fit becomes real, and if so, how much of his best version is still available for a contender trying to squeeze every edge from its roster. [Read more 🡒]