Stephen Curry to Leave Golden State Warriors After 2016-17 NBA Season? MVP's Max Contract Could be the Biggest in League's History
Back-to-back NBA MVP Stephen Curry will be heading to the free agent market after the 2016-17 season, where he is expected to land the biggest deal in the league's history. Will the NBA superstar stay loyal to the Golden State Warriors?
Curry Plans Not to Leave
In a recent interview, Curry implied that he wants to stay with the Warriors after he will turn an unrestricted free agent for the first time next offseason. Per ESPN, the two-time reigning NBA MVP stated that he wishes to re-sign with the franchise because he likes playing for the team.
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Curry stayed with the Warriors since he was selected as the seventh overall pick in the team's 2009 NBA draft. He signed a four-year $12.7-million rookie contract with the franchise in 2009 and agreed to another four-year $44-million rookie scale contract extension in 2012. At that time, the Warriors hesitated to offer him a max contract because of his past health woes.
After achieving NBA superstardom in the 2014-15 season, several sports writers considered Curry as one of the underpaid players in the league. Among the Warriors' All-Star players in the upcoming season, he will receive the smallest base salary of $12.1 million.
Draymond Green (power forward) will receive $15.3 million while Klay Thompson (shooting guard) will get $16.6 million. Moreover, Kevin Durant (small forward), the Warriors' newest All-Star recruit, will receive the biggest salary of $26.5 million in the new season.
Despite being considered underpaid, Curry emphasized that salary is never an issue to him. He also hopes that the status of his contract will not be an ongoing storyline in the forthcoming season.
Record Breaking Contract
From being underpaid, things are bound to change when Curry turns to an unrestricted free agent next summer. Several sports writers projected that the NBA MVP will not only land the biggest contract of his career, but also the most lucrative deal in the history of the league.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Curry's maximum contract could reach $165 million based on the NBA's salary cap. It will be a five-year deal and could break the present record holder of the biggest contract in the history of the league.
Mike Conley Jr. of Memphis Grizzlies currently represents the greatest contract by total value in the league's history. The 28-year-old point guard inked a five-year $152.6-million contract with the franchise this summer. He will receive a base salary of $26.5 million in the upcoming season and an annual average salary of $30.5 million in the next five years.
