It's no secret that Stephen Curry is probably the biggest bargain in the NBA. He's a back-to-back MVP winner and now a scoring champion, yet he's just making $11.2 million in his last year of a four-year, $44 million extension of his rookie contract.
Not only that, but he's the fourth-highest paid player in his own team, after Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Anyone in his place would have taken the opportunity to cash in after winning an MVP trophy, as many have done before — most recently Derrick Rose, who signed a five-year, $94.3 million extension with the Bulls months after becoming the youngest to win the award.
But that doesn't bother Curry, as he told Darren Rovell of ESPN.
“I told myself, when I made the decision to sign for what I did back in the day, that I’m blessed to take care of my family for what it was,” Curry said.
“And there would probably be a situation, if I played the way I was supposed to coming off that contract, that I could be underpaid or whatever. But at the end of the day, it would all come around and we won the championship and good things happened.”
Curry's approach is seldom seen in an era where everyone is looking for that next big contract that can set them up for life.
Managing assets
Very few people remember how much doubt hovered over Curry's career after repeated ankle injuries kept him from the court.
At the time, his extension was a risk for the Warriors management — but it was a low risk, high reward situation, not one that would handicap the franchise that had been making strides to come up in the Western Conference.
It all ended up working for both sides, as Curry managed to get healthy and gain consistency while management was able to put pieces around him to help him win games.
Let's talk money
It was that contract that allowed Thompson to sign a four-year, $70 million extension at the start of 2014, then subsequently Green the next offseason to a five-year, $85 million extension.
Ultimately, that cap room flexibility was what allowed Durant to sign this offseason for that two-year, $54.3 million sum.
What's to come for Stephen Curry
It would be tough to expect Curry to take another pay cut come next summer, considering the awards, the All-Star appearances and the championship — because agents have to eat too.
Realistically, it would be tough to expect the “Fantastic Four” to stay together for too long, even if the NBA max salary cap continues to rise due to the gigantic TV network deals that are being signed.
Stephen Curry's unselfish and modest approach to free agency would be a bargaining chip for the Warriors if they were to ask him to make any future concessions.
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