Curry has no desire to leave Warriors in free agency
From the amount of money he could potentially earn on a new deal to the fact that he's on the most stacked roster in all of basketball, there aren't many reasons why reigning back-to-back Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry would even entertain the idea of leaving the Golden State Warriors this summer.
"I can't," Curry said to the Mercury News' Tim Kawakami on Saturday when asked if he could fathom signing with another franchise when he hits free agency. "Like I've said from Day 1 when I was first asked about free agency, this is a perfect place to play. Bay Area fans are amazing, our organization's amazing, we've put together an amazing team that's competing for championships every year.
"There's really no reason that I can see right now that would draw me elsewhere."
By meeting the criteria for the league's designated player extension under the new collective bargaining agreement, Curry has put himself in a position to cash in big time with the Warriors on a potential deal worth approximately $209 million over five years - the largest in NBA history. In comparison, other teams could only offer a max at four years and roughly $133 million.
Being on the team that originally drafted him, along with his MVP wins and All-NBA Team nods, allow The Chef to be eligible.
"I know it's on the horizon," Curry said of negotiations. "It's something that I hope to get done this summer.
"It sounds crazy, but I haven't really thought about what that means yet, just because it's so much time between now and then. So much to accomplish."
Surprisingly enough, the 28-year-old guard has never been the highest-paid player on the Warriors. He signed a four-year, $44-million extension back in 2012, and is currently competing in its final year with a salary of just over $12 million.
"One thing my pops always told me is you never count another man's money. It's what you've got and how you take care of it," Curry added. "And if I'm complaining about $44 million over four years, then I've got other issues in my life."
While his numbers have taken a dip since the arrival of four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant, Curry is still playing at an extremely high level and remains one of the key reasons why the 34-6 Warriors are where they are in the standings. He's averaging 24.7 points on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent from deep, along with 5.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 33.6 minutes per game.