NBA Rumors: Steph Curry expected to be an unhappy man if Golden State Warriors don't offer max extension to 4x All-Star
Steph Curry sees the Golden State Warriors' Big Three as a "package deal" and would, unsurprisingly, be upset if the organization split them up.
Four major players are extension eligible this summer, and Bay Area fans aren't sure if owner Joe Lacob is going to agree to pay everyone. Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson are all waiting to be extended by the franchise. Keeping everyone happy would entail "astronomical luxury-tax penalties," and Lacob reportedly isn't too excited to sign enormous checks.
However, Green and Thompson deserve to be in a class that shouldn't worry about their team leaving them out to dry. They have been key parts of four championship teams, and the Golden State Warriors wouldn't have won the 2022 title over Boston without them. Green and Thompson deserve credit for revolutionizing the sport alongside Curry as they are invaluable cogs of the Warriors' system.
Steph Curry, who is locked in with the franchise for several more seasons, isn't going to be happy if Golden State doesn't offer the max extension to Green.
The Athletic's Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II reported:
"A bigger concern is how the NBA Finals MVP would feel about Green not getting an extension. Multiple sources said Curry would not be happy if the Warriors lost Green because the team didn’t want to pay him. Curry is under contract for four more years and has a desire for Green and Thompson to be with him for the length of his stay."
Extension season is coming and the Warriors have to make some tough decisions that could come with major ramifications.
They begin next week with a championship pillar in Draymond Green, who wants to get paid.
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According to Slater and Thompson, Green wants and believes he deserves the max extension and expects it to be a four-year deal. He is extension-eligible on Aug. 3. He will make $25.8 million this season, and $27.4 million in 2023-24 which is a player option. The Warriors' front office usually waits until the last year of the player's deal to talk extension, even Steph Curry did so.
So, Golden State is likely going to have extension talks with Green next summer as he has two years left on his deal. However, if they do extend him next week, it will require him to opt out of his final year and sign a $138.4 million four-year extension. That will give him $3.4 million more in 2023-24 than he would have made if he opted in.
It's unknown if Lacob is comfortable spending so much money, but if he doesn't extend Green, he risks upsetting his franchise superstar.
Will the Golden State Warriors keep Steph Curry happy and pay everyone?
The Golden State Warriors paid a colossal total bill of $364 million this season, and the ownership is already upset at the massive amount. It's expected to be a larger bill next season, and there is concern whether they will retain every player or offer someone less than they are worth.
Jordan Poole is reportedly in the Jalen Brunson and Anfernee Simons category and is expecting a four-year $100 million-ish extension. Klay Thompson is the same as Green and is likely going to get the max deal, while Andrew Wiggins is now indispensable.
The Athletic's Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II wrote that Golden State owner Joe Lacob isn't willing to pay everyone and endure a massive luxury tax bill. They reported:
"Pay everybody … reward all of them with hefty contract extensions, locking in the Warriors core for several extra seasons. No CBA rule prevents it. But that just isn’t viable for the franchise, sources indicate. Extending all those players would lock in astronomical luxury-tax penalties. … They’d be entering a stratosphere that Lacob, transparently, has said he’s unwilling to touch."
The Warriors have four high-profile extension candidates, deepening tax concerns and a two-timeline plan set for a financial collision.
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If the Warriors pay all four, they will look at a total bill of $564 million in the 2023-24 season, and Lacob told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami last month:
"You were throwing numbers out like 400, 500. … Those numbers are not even remotely possible. They're just not. I'm already in trouble with the rest of the league. We are in trouble for being where we are."
Only time will tell what the Warriors will do with all the upcoming contract extensions. But if they want to continue winning titles, they will have to try to keep everyone in the locker room happy, including Steph Curry.