Stephen Curry will remain with the Golden State Warriors after agreeing to a two-year, $116 million contract extension.
The 38-year-old took time to consider his future before committing to a new agreement, with ESPN reporting that he wants to complete his NBA career in Golden State.
Curry accepted a contract worth $20 million less than his maximum salary and will have a player option for the 2028-29 season. The Warriors presented him with several offers in their effort to keep him with the franchise.
The two-time NBA MVP will now remain with the team that selected him No. 7 overall in the 2009 draft. The deal could see him play his 19th and potentially 20th seasons in Golden State as the Warriors pursue a fifth NBA championship together.
Curry’s decision follows a dramatic offseason in which fellow superstar LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal after a much-publicized battle for his signature.
When James’ departure from the Los Angeles Lakers was announced, there was widespread speculation that he could reunite with Curry in Golden State.
Stephen Curry has agreed to a new two-year, $116 million contract with the Golden State Warriors
Curry recently acknowledged that he tried to recruit LeBron James to join him in Golden State
Curry recently revealed that he attempted to persuade James to join the Warriors, saying: ‘If anybody didn’t try, I think they’d be a fool.’
In the same interview with NBC Sports Bay Area earlier this month, Curry said: ‘I want to be a lifer with Golden State.’ His new contract ensures that ambition remains on course.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said in August that Curry had complete control over the direction of his career.
‘I’m pretty confident Steph will finish his career here,’ Dunleavy said. ‘Ultimately it’s his call, his decision, whether that’s allowing his contract to run out and move on.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Pete Byrne, Singer of 1980s New Wave Duo Naked Eyes, Dies
‘Look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, Joe (owner Joe Lacob) and I will talk it through. We wouldn’t love it. But he’s earned the right to do what he wants, do those things.
‘But as far as the messaging or any idea that he would be anywhere else, that’s not a thing we’re looking at or he’s looking at.’
Curry averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds last season, but his campaign was restricted to 43 games.
A persistent knee injury affected him throughout the season before he made a full return in April. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who has signed a two-year contract, is expected to carefully manage Curry’s workload this season.
‘I think with the knee, other injuries and then his age, it’s definitely something we have to manage,’ Dunleavy said.
Curry’s new deal will take him into his 19th and potentially 20th seasons with the Warriors
Curry and James were Olympic teammates for the United States, winning gold in Paris
Kerr, meanwhile, recently said on The Tom Tolbert Show that James was never close to joining the Warriors during the summer.
Kerr said: ‘I don’t think it’s exactly earth-shattering news, or I don’t think I’ll get fined for saying, like, it never really felt like he was, you know, coming here.
‘It was more, to me, it was more speculation than anything. I think we would have had a much better sense that, you know, something was going to happen.
‘It’s been really interesting, though, hearing fans around the Bay. Like, I’ll just, people will randomly come up to me and say, ‘I’m glad we didn’t get LeBron,’ and I’m like, ‘Really?’ Like, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, it’s like he’s not supposed to be on our team. He’s a rival,’.’