Stephen Curry Almost Didn't Get His $201M USD Contract With Golden State

In early July, four-time All-Star and two-time MVP Stephen Curry signed a record five-year, $201 million USD contract with the Golden State Warriors. Though at the time it was the largest deal in NBA history, it was soon surpassed by Russell Westbrook’s five-year, $205 million USD extension with Oklahoma City Thunder. Curry’s previous contract with the team had led to him being underpaid, so it’s no shock that the Warriors had to put up some cash in order to keep the MVP on the roster.

However, according to a recent report from The Athletic, the max contract was a scenario that almost didn’t occur. Apparently, Warriors owner Joe Lacob did not want Curry to walk away with a max deal, which the team’s general manager was opposed to. The article written by Marcus Thompson details how Steph’s game has evolved over the last few seasons and how it ultimately paid dividends with financial growth as well. Thompson states:

“On top of that, as the Warriors prepared for the postseason, Warriors owner Joe Lacob was considering offering Curry a contract below the max, even though Curry has been one of the most underpaid players in all of sports over the last three seasons. Warriors general manager Bob Myers kept Lacob from bringing a reduced offer to the negotiating table, but it was enough of a thing that Myers reassured Curry of the franchise’s commitment.

Curry knew there were mumblings of possibly asking him to take less than the max. He brushed it off as a meaningless until it was actually time to sign.”

Kevin Durant, Warriors’ other prized possession, was willing to take a pay cut — which undoubtedly helped the Warriors roll out Steph’s deal. Was Steph worth the price? Sound off in the comments below.

In other NBA-related news, the NBA All-Star game is ditching the East vs. West format.