Steph Curry Wants to Finish His Career in Golden State

Steph Curry wants to finish his career where it started. According to the two-time MVP, he wants to stay with the Golden State Warriors for the rest of his career.

Curry’s current contract runs through the 2021-22 campaign with Curry set to earn approximately $43M this coming season and $45.78M in 2022. However, he has the option to sign an extension until the December 21st deadline for players not in the final year of their contracts.

During a recent interview, Curry revealed that he and the Warriors have begun discussing an extension. While the term and amount have yet to be decided, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says that Curry is eligible to get a maximum salary extension worth $156M over three years.

Face of the Franchise

In 2017, Curry signed what was then the largest deal in NBA history- a five year, $201M contract extension. That amount would later be topped by James Harden’s $228M extension from the Houston Rockets but it was enough for the rest of us to know that Curry is the Warriors’ franchise cornerstone.

“Steph Curry is the face of this franchise.”

Check out the latest Runnin’ Plays Podcast to hear @KerithBurke and @loganmmurdock discuss Steph’s looming return and why it will be beneficial for the Warriors during the last part of the season.

Listen: https://t.co/Zy3W1cdMTH pic.twitter.com/65ATRbeQPl

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 21, 2020

Chef Curry has been the face of the Warriors franchise since being drafted 7th overall by the team in 2009. It would be great to see him follow in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki as superstar NBA players who spent their entire career playing for the franchise where they made their mark with.

Bryant, Duncan, and Nowitzki are among a rare breed of stars. From 1996 to 2018, they were the only MVP winners who played for only one NBA team. Of the last seven different NBA MVP winners, only Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo have played for one franchise. But while Antetokounmpo has asked the Bucks to “make the right move”, Curry “loves” where the Warriors are at.

Loving Where the Warriors Are At

Golden State didn’t have the best offseason. They lost Klay Thompson for another season with an Achilles tear. But one day before that, the Warriors drafted center James Wiseman with the 2nd overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, giving Curry a high-profile big man that he’s never played with during his entire NBA career.

Do you like what the Warriors did this summer and do you like where this is heading? Steph Curry: “From what we have now, I love where we’re at.”

Full quote pic.twitter.com/QuFAryMhUH

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 7, 2020

Then after Thompson got hurt, Golden State pulled off a trade that brought Kelly Oubre Jr. to the Bay Area. Oubre was the 15th pick of the 2015 NBA draft and he is coming off his best season when he averaged 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns. While he may not replace Thompson, Oubre’s ability to put points on the scoreboard helps ease the added pressure on Curry.

The Dubs also brought in back-up guard Brad Wanamaker from Boston to provide another playmaker who could spell Curry and give him the much-needed rest. Then, of course, the Warriors will return veterans Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins plus last season’s key contributors in Eric Paschall, Damion Lee, and Jordan Poole. With a mix of savvy veterans and young up-and-comers, the Warriors do have a good supporting cast around Curry this year.

MVP Favorite

Many believe that Steph Curry will have a big year in 2021 after playing just five games last season. In fact, online sportsbooks like Bovada have listed Curry in second place behind Luka Doncic in their MVP odds board. As of the latest betting odds, Doncic is the preseason MVP favorite at +300. Curry is right behind the Slovenian Wonderkid at +550 while reigning back to back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is third at +650.

Updated odds to win 2021 NBA MVP (Bovada):

Doncic +300

Curry +550

Antetokounmpo +650

Davis/Durant/James +900

Tatum +1200

Harden +1400

Lillard +1800

Leonard +2000

Embiid +2500

Irving/Butler +2800

Mitchell/Jokic +3000

Murray/Booker +3500

Via @OddsShark

— THE PREMIUM 🤴⛽️ (@gamblers_dream) November 27, 2020

Doncic is coming off a spectacular sophomore season while Giannis joined MJ and The Dream last campaign as the only players to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. But Curry isn’t just heading to 2021 trying to bounce back, he will be carrying more load with Klay out due to injury and Kevin Durant gone to Brooklyn.

But while Curry is expected to have a big season, the bookies aren’t too high on the Warriors this year after losing Thompson to injury. SportsBetting.ag has set the Warriors’ win total for next season at 38.5 wins or a win percentage of 53.4% with a +130 odds of them winning more than that. They are also just 10th in the current odds board to win the 2021 NBA title at +10000.