Should the Warriors do it despite his age?
Stephen Curry played just 43 games this season.
A right knee issue knocked him out for 27 straight between early February and early April, and the Golden State Warriors cratered to 37-45 without him before getting eliminated from the Play-In Tournament by the Phoenix Suns.
It was one of the most frustrating years of his career, and almost none of it had anything to do with how he actually looked on the court.
His future in the Bay Area does not seem to be in question at all.
The Extension Is Coming
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Saturday that Curry is expected to land a new deal from the Warriors once he becomes extension-eligible at the end of August.
Golden State can put a two-year offer on the table worth close to $140 million, which would lock up the two-time MVP through his age-40 season.
"Stephen Curry becomes contract extension-eligible at the end of August and the Warriors are confident that they will strike a deal that sets Curry up to retire as a Warrior," Stein wrote.
Stein compared the potential deal to "the extension Jaylen Brown can command starting late in July from Boston," which puts the annual number somewhere near $70 million.
Curry already has $62.6 million coming to him next season on his current deal, so this would tack on two additional years after that.
A Rough Season, But Still Elite
The roster around Curry fell apart after Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in January, and Golden State spent the rest of the year just trying to survive.
But when Curry was on the floor in those 43 games, the production was not that of a declining player.
He put up 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from deep.
He also hit 92.3 percent of his free throws and averaged 4.4 made threes per game.
The assists dropped to a career low, though a lot of that traces back to the constant lineup shuffling Golden State went through in the second half.
Why It Still Makes Sense
Curry turns 39 next March, and handing a player that age close to $70 million annually is not without risk.
But the Warriors are not going to let the greatest shooter in basketball history test the open market or settle for less than the max.
He won four titles with this franchise and reshaped how the sport is played.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. recently told reporters he cannot picture any scenario where they would not want Curry to finish his career in the Bay Area.
Getting the extension done gives Golden State a foundation while the front office sorts out the rest of the roster around him.
