Stephen Curry’s new extension with the Warriors is a reminder of just how long he’s kept this whole thing rolling. Golden State has agreed to a two-year, $116 million contract extension with Curry that includes a player option in 2028-29, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Friday.
At 38, Curry is still cashing in on a career that changed the Warriors and rewrote the expectations for a player who once came with real concerns about ankle injuries and durability. That makes the contrast with Damian Lillard hard to miss. Both are superstar guards, but Curry’s championship résumé has pulled him into a different tier in the record books, while Lillard is still chasing his first title after returning to Portland following a torn Achilles.
Lillard’s path back to the Blazers came after two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the move has put him in position to work with one of the better rosters he’s had around him. Portland’s haul from the lopsided deal that sent him to Milwaukee helped set that up, and general manager Joe Cronin’s gamble against Milwaukee’s future ended up paying off for the Blazers.
The Achilles injury changed the timeline, too. Instead of waiting longer for a reunion, Portland got Lillard back sooner than expected after the Bucks waived and stretched him to create room to sign Myles Turner. That decision by Milwaukee looked questionable when it happened, and it has only aged worse from the Blazers’ perspective.
Portland also has the kind of supporting cast Lillard didn’t always enjoy in his first run there. Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan give the Blazers the sort of two-way pieces they were missing when regular-season success didn’t carry over into the playoffs.
And then there’s the deal itself. Lillard came back to Portland on a three-year, $42 million contract with a $14.1 million player option in 2027-28. It was front-loaded while he sat out all of last season and worked through his rehab.
That setup leaves the Blazers with a chance to benefit from one of the league’s most team-friendly contracts, especially alongside Avdija’s deal. The big question is whether Lillard can get back to form, but Portland has reason to believe he can still bring immediate value.
Stack that against Curry’s $116 million commitment from Golden State, and Portland’s side of the equation starts to look awfully sharp.
In Other News...
Blazers Overhaul Looks Exciting But One Roster Problem Still Lingers
The Blazers latest offseason swing has given the roster a far different look, and the appeal is obvious. Portland landed Ja Morant in a trade without having to part with any key pieces, then added frontcourt help in Micah Potter and Branden Carlson to give the bench a little more size and insurance. On paper, it is the kind of aggressive retool that can energize a team trying to climb back into relevance, especially with Damian Lillard still at the center of everything.
Still, the roster picture is not fully clean. Morant brings the sort of talent that changes expectations, but there are lingering questions about his health and how he fits defensively next to Lillard, and the Blazers cannot ignore either issue if they want the move to work. Off the floor, the franchise also remains under scrutiny as protests continue over taxpayer money going toward Moda Center renovations, with critics arguing those dollars should be redirected to local schools instead. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Camp Is About To Settle Portlands Biggest Roster Battles
The Trail Blazers have put together their official training camp roster for the 2026-27 season, giving the first clear look at the group that will spend the next few days trying to sort out the back end of the roster. Portland opens camp Sept. 29 and will keep the competition going through Oct. 2, with Fan Fest set for Oct. 4 at the Moda Center.
For a team still trying to answer some of its biggest personnel questions, this is the stretch where small decisions can carry real weight. The Blazers get just a short runway before the first preseason games arrive on Oct. 7 and Oct. 12, so every practice rep matters as the club starts separating the players who fit from the ones who may not be long for the final group. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Suddenly Face A Ja Morant Question Fans Cant Ignore
The Blazers backcourt picture changed fast enough to make the rest of the league do a double take, and Joe Cronins confidence in Ja Morant is now part of the conversation in Portland. Morant arrives after missing much of last season because of injury, but the front office clearly believes the talent is still there, even as the roster already has Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe all looking for touches and minutes.
Morant has talked about being focused on winning no matter what his role ends up being, which is the right message for a team trying to sort out a crowded guard room. The bigger question for Portland is how all of those pieces fit together once the games start mattering, because talent is not the issue here so much as who ends up where in the hierarchy. [Read more 🡒]