Williams understood what Curry was getting at.
Stephen Curry told Front Office Sports this week that NBA players are underpaid, and Lou Williams was not about to let that slide without a response.
Williams spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2017 to 2021, won two Sixth Man of the Year awards in that building and earned roughly $85.7 million across a 17-year career.
So when he went on Run It Back, he had some background to weigh in.
"I'm a little shocked at who it came from, but I'm also happy it came from Steph," Williams said. "I don't agree with the underpaid part, but if we can get paid more, let's get paid more."
What Curry Is Really Getting At
Curry is not complaining about his paycheck.
The Warriors guard is set to earn $62.6 million next season, and he knows that sounds absurd to most people.
His point is about something different entirely.
The current CBA prevents players from owning equity in the teams they play for, and the Warriors alone are worth over $11 billion according to Forbes.
Curry thinks the guys who built that value should get a cut of the long-term growth, not just a salary.
Williams would not go as far as using the word underpaid, but he did say that Curry raising the issue matters because of who he is.
A mid-level guy says the same thing and nobody blinks.
When the highest-paid player in the league says it, the whole room listens.
How This Connects to the Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers went 42-40 this season before getting bounced by the Warriors in the play-in tournament.
It was a wild year that started at 6-21 and included a midseason trade that sent James Harden to Cleveland.
Kawhi Leonard was the reason they even sniffed .500, putting up 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 65 games on 50.5 percent shooting in what might have been the best season of his career.
Leonard was not doing it alone, though, and the guys alongside him are exactly who Curry's argument applies to most.
Kris Dunn played all 82 regular-season games, averaged 7.3 points, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals and was one of the better perimeter defenders in the league on a salary of $5.4 million.
Kobe Sanders showed up for 68 games as a rookie making close to the minimum.
Those players help fill arenas and drive television revenue, but they will never see a fraction of what owners pocket off that value.
Williams lived that life as a Clipper and gets what role players deal with on a level most former stars do not.
Curry's push for equity probably will not change anything for the guys playing right now, but it could shift the conversation heading into the next CBA.
That it took someone making $62.6 million to get the league to pay attention is exactly the point Williams was making.