Stephen Curry is entering the final season of his contract with the Golden State Warriors and is set to earn $62.5 million in what could be his final season in San Francisco unless the two sides agree on an extension.
Considering how disappointed Curry sounded about the Warriors missing out on yet another roster upgrade target with LeBron James joining the 76ers, there are speculations that the 38-year-old veteran could use his looming contract extension as leverage over the front office.
“He wants to win. He wants the best team the Warriors can assemble around him. He wants a chance, a real chance, for a deep playoff run. The longer it takes for him to sign a contract extension, the more you can bet Curry’s using potential free agency as a tool to keep the Warriors pushing toward that end,” wrote The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson after his conversations with Stephen Curry.
The Warriors also lost the sweepstakes for Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo despite reportedly being in a very good position to make compelling offers for both those superstars.
“I think he’s probably tired of the star chasing,” Thompson reportedly said on the possibility of Curry and the Warriors front office not being on the same page.
Initially, reports suggested that Curry would be willing to sign a two-year, $136 million extension, but it may not be as simple as it sounds. When asked whether he needs moderate assistance from the Warriors’ front office, Curry admitted he’s open to changes to the roster.
“Sure. I’m hopeful for all the creative ideas of getting the best team possible. We had those conversations. But when you have injuries at the top like that, it’s always gonna change,” Curry said to Thompson.
On one hand, the Warriors are apparently already planning for their post-Stephen Curry era, which indicates that they prioritise keeping their draft assets over using them to make a ‘risky’ win-now move with Curry.
And on the other hand, Stephen Curry has to decide between seriously contending for a championship and his loyalty to the Warriors. With approximately $70 million of their salary cap tied to players who will spend the entire 2026-27 season in rehab (Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody), the Warriors cannot expect to contend without giving up their draft assets in trades.
Especially when they are expecting about $25 million more going into the contract extension of Draymond Green, it was appalling to see that the Warriors did not make any free agency moves or trades to improve their roster.
Hence, it is becoming increasingly likely that the Warriors’ front office and Stephen Curry are not on the same page about their plans for the near future. Considering how loyal Curry is to the Warriors, he is expected to keep pushing the front office this season to make moves.
The Warriors will hope not to lose Stephen Curry to free agency for nothing in return. Even though he is 38 years old, he still averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 46.8% from the field and 39.3% from behind the three-point line in 2025-26.
Even if they do hope to trade him, convincing him to sign an extension after this season will require them to convince Curry that he’s not wasting his final years instead of contending for a championship.
Therefore, the looming threat of Stephen Curry’s potential free agency seems like the only tool that could make the Warriors’ front office change their minds.
Otherwise, if the roster remains unchanged and the two sides don’t agree on an extension, we could be seeing the final season of Stephen Curry in the royal blue and gold jersey.
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