How Steph Curry's contract of 4 years, $44 million paved the way for Golden State Warriors dynasty
Steph Curry's contract is the most valuable player contract of the 2022-23 NBA season. The four-time NBA champion will receive approximately $48.1 million for his services, which is impressive. However, his previous contracts weren't as lucrative.
When he entered the league in 2008, Curry was paid $2.7 million. Even as a rookie, the guard was one of the best shooters in the league. However, he wasn't a superstar yet, which is why his salary was relatively low.
In 2012, Steph Curry's contract was extended by the Golden State Warriors, who agreed to pay him $44 million over four years. This ended up being the perfect move as it allowed the team to win four championships in just 10 years after the extension.
Steph Curry's contract extension turned the Golden State Warriors into a dynasty
Curry averaged 14.7 points on 49% shooting back in the 2011-12 season. The Warriors finished the season with a 23-43 record, which was very disappointing. Fortunately, they ended up extending Curry's contract and paying only $44 million for it.
While the team expected Curry to improve, no one could have imagined that he'd become the greatest 3-point shooter of all time. In the 2015-16 season, the 6-foot-2 guard led the league in scoring with 30.1 points per game, yet he was paid only $11.3 million. A bargain!
Curry's extension ran through the summer of 2017, which was perfect. The Warriors had the best player in the league, yet they were paying him only $11 million per year.
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In 2016, the NBA salary cap exploded. It increased from $70 to $94.1 million in just a year, which gave the Warriors, and every other NBA team, more flexibility in free agency.
Coincidentally, Curry and his team suffered an embarrassing loss in the 2016 NBA Finals, shortly before the salary cap spiked. The Warriors decided to use their cap space to sign Kevin Durant, opening the door for back-to-back championships.
At this point, Durant was one of the best players in the league. He was coming off a 28-8-5 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder and had won four scoring titles by then.
The Warriors superteam
Adding Kevin Durant to a team that already had Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green was an incredible move by the Warriors' front office. This core led the Warriors to three straight NBA Finals appearances, including back-to-back titles.
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Right after joining the Dubs, Durant became the team's highest-paid player. The Warriors had to make a few more moves to sign the superstar, which is why they got rid of Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes.
The Warriors lost the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, but that wasn't the end of their team. Thanks to Steph Curry's contract, the Dubs ended up trading for Andrew Wiggins.
They first sent Durant to the Brooklyn Nets for D'Angelo Russell, before trading the point guard to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Wiggins. The 6-foot-7 forward ended up being a key piece in capturing the 2022 NBA title as he was the second-best Warrior in the series.