Steph Curry's discount is only half of the equation for Golden State

The legend takes a haircut to help the Warriors add another piece over the next year. But how are they going to land that other piece?

Good morning. Let's basketball.

On Friday, news broke that after weeks of rumor Stephen Curry had decided to sign a short extension on a relative discount: he'll add two more years to his deal for $116 million, $20 million short of his maximum for that term, with a player option in 2028-29. He'll be 40 years old in the summer of '28, if you're counting. ESPN's Anthony Slater reports that the Warriors gave Curry his choice of contract options along with information on what the franchise could do based on his path. Curry, ever the competitor, apparently chose a route that reduces his personal income somewhat but allows Golden State to maintain some space to add another player, either in addition to Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler or in replacement of them.

Green and Butler are both on track to be free agents next summer; Butler is eligible to sign an extension, but there's no sense on when he'll actually play this season. The other key free agent to be is Brandin Podziemski, who will be a restricted free agent with a pretty big cap hold next summer if he and the Warriors don't reach an extension agreement in the next few weeks.

This all adds up to the Warriors having some real salary flexibility under the aprons going into the 2027-28 season, which could allow some creativity heading into the 2027 trade deadline in February. If you're of the mindset that the Warriors should take one more shot with Curry, who is clearly committed to eventually retiring in Golden State, this is a nice set-up for that.

The problem is no longer the money. The problem is the decision whether to burn post-Curry assets to boost the chances for the final Curry teams.