It’s no use debating whether Stephen Curry would be receiving more money if he didn’t have such troublesome ankle issues. Eric Gordon received a max extension, $58 million over four years, this summer and he only played in nine games last season. Regardless of what we think, if Curry didn’t have bird ankles, the Warriors would be shelling out a lot more money to keep him around. That’s a fact. Instead, just hours before the Wednesday night deadline for contract extensions, Golden State locked up one of their most promising young players with a four-year, $44 million deal.
Curry tweeted earlier today: “#Dubs Gameday baby. And thanks to Joe Lacob & the Warriors hopefully I can say that for the next 4 yrs. agreed on extension.”
He’s happy, saying all along he wanted to stay in the Bay Area, and the Warriors have to be as well. While $11 million a year sounds like a lot, in reality, it’s not much more than the average starting salary, and Curry would’ve definitely received contract offers in this ballpark had Golden State allowed the situation to get to that point.
Ty Lawson signed a deal worth $48 million with Denver yesterday. If Curry can ever stay healthy enough to match the potential he showed early in his career when he averaged at least 17.5 points in each of his first two seasons and played at least 74 games, this’ll be a bargain.
Presently, Curry is just looking to get healthy, having sprained his ankle yet again. The Warriors don’t think it’s anything serious, saying they’ve loved the way Curry’s played since training camp began. After shelling out an extension when they didn’t exactly have to, we believe them.
Was this a good deal for both sides?
Follow Sean on Twitter at @SEANesweeney.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.