Stephen Curry is leaving the door open to something that would have been easy to slam shut: a smaller deal with the Warriors.
On Wednesday, Curry told ESPN’s Anthony Slater that he’ll sign his next contract "at the right time" and that staying in Golden State is his "obvious goal." He also made clear that the money question is tied to something bigger than his own paycheck.
"We're in a very interesting situation," Curry said. "All the different salary cap conditions of whether I sign for a max or less or whatever it is, I want to be on a competitive team. I want to have an opportunity to have some flexibility because we haven't had that in years past, the recent past.
"... This team should have flexibility to make necessary moves if things happen.
Those are always just the considerations. For me, information and patience is key.
It's just a very unique situation all the way around based on where we've been the last four years, where I'm at in my career, what our team looks like this year and the absolute desperation to win. Trying to balance all that."
That leaves the Warriors with a real decision point. Curry is hinting at two possibilities: waiting until next offseason to sign a new deal, and potentially taking less than the maximum.
If he signs an extension before next offseason, it would eat into Golden State’s 2027 cap space. Slater reported the Warriors are projected to have more than $100 million available, but that figure could fall to around $45 million if Curry takes the max.
That kind of flexibility matters because the Warriors haven’t had cap space since landing Kevin Durant in 2016. They’re not likely to land a player of Durant’s caliber in 2027 free agency, but they could still use that room to reshape the roster.
The list of possible 2027 free agents includes some names that are basically off limits, like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. There are also players who could be within reach, including Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Michael Porter Jr.
That’s the leverage point here. If Golden State gets deep into talks with a star who wants the max and the only way to fit that player in is for Curry to come in below his own top number, Curry would be able to make that choice by not locking in a max extension now.
He doesn’t sound worried about spending the season on his expiring $62.6 million deal. And if his goal were to accept a pay cut immediately and settle everything right away, he could sign an extension with a minimum starting salary of $37.5 million.
That number is clearly below what he’s worth, and probably below what he’ll actually land on. The most likely outcome is something in the middle, between that minimum and his $65.7 million maximum.
Slater also noted that GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office recently laid out options for Curry that would involve "slightly smaller pay cuts."
For the Warriors, every dollar matters if 2027 is the summer they try to make their move.
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