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The Golden State Warriors have enjoyed 15 seasons of star point guard Steph Curry, and the team’s owner Joe Lacob believes he will be around for much longer.
Per The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, Lacob said that while he and Curry have not discussed the $62.6 million one-year extension he’s eligible for, he’s confident Curry will be “a Warrior for life.”
“We have not discussed it. He’s busy right now and he should stay busy and focused on that with the Olympics,” Lacob said. “But if he wants to talk about that, that’s up to him. He’s not said that at all, but if he wants to, we’ll certainly entertain that discussion. … Let’s put it this way, Steph Curry I fully anticipate he’ll be a Warrior for life. I thought Klay was going to be, too, but I was wrong.”
Lacob also commended Curry’s longevity, comparing him to NFL great Tom Brady.
“And I think Steph has been … what he’s meant to this franchise has been tremendous and it’s every intention of ours to see him play as long as he wants to play and as long as he can play at the level he’s continued to play,” Lacob said. “He’s in incredible shape, so I have no reason to believe that he couldn’t play quite a bit longer. Maybe he’s Tom Brady.”
At 36 years old, Curry is still playing some of the best basketball of his career. The two-time MVP averaged 26.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game last year, playing 74 games, which is the most for him since the 2016-17 season.
It seems unlikely his numbers will be much different in his 16th season. Even as Curry ages, his game should be able to translate well as his bread and butter is shooting from deep.
While Curry has plenty of accolades and four titles to his name, his next challenge will be trying to reinvigorate a struggling Warriors team. Golden State finished 46-36 last year, missing the playoffs after losing to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament.
The Warriors roster took a hit this offseason with Klay Thompson departing in free agency, but the team will look to carry on without him and right the ship.
As for Curry’s extension, he’ll likely begin discussions once he’s done competing in the Olympics with Team USA in Paris.
