The latest example of Stephen Curry’s ability to see the big picture came Monday, when he reiterated his previously stated desire to stay with the Warriors over the long term.
The reigning NBA MVP says he has no desire to test the market 22 months from now, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
“As I am thinking right now, free agency isn’t really appealing to me because I love where I’m at, love the organization I’m playing for, and the Bay Area is home for me and my family,” Curry told The Sporting News.
Curry’s comment, made at a promotional golf event in San Francisco, speaks to the sheer self-possession of the point guard, who will enter his seventh season in 2015-16. Moreover, it buttresses his sincerity about not being bothered by a procession of teammates signing contracts that surpass his own.
While Curry will be entering the third year of a four-year pact worth $44 million – signed in October 2012 – four other Warriors have since received deals with greater annual salaries.
Forward Draymond Green, who had yet to make his NBA debut when Curry signed his contract, last month inked a five-year deal worth $82 million. Guard Klay Thompson last summer signed a four-year extension worth $69 million. Center Andrew Bogut in October 2013 signed a three-year extension worth $36 million. That came three months after Andre Iguodala was acquired via sign-and-trade at a cast of $48 million over four years.
All four will make higher salaries than the $11.37 million Curry will make next season.
Yet Curry has shown not even the slightest rumor of dissatisfaction or regret over his own deal, one he clearly has outperformed.
That’s just not how he thinks.
“It helps being world champs and you want to continue to build the momentum that we’ve established and I hope to have a huge part of that in the long term,” Curry told TSN. “But I think the best approach for me is to try and stay as in the moment as possible.
“Everybody in this league is going to have many decisions to make, and you’ll be in a lot of different situations throughout your career, so in order to enjoy the ride, you kind of have to not get too ahead of yourself and just stay in the moment.”
Curry, who grew up in North Carolina, has established roots in the East Bay. He and his wife, Ayesha, initially bought a penthouse-level condo in Oakland but put it on the market when their family expanded. They bought a home in Lafayette, where they reside with their two daughters, Riley and Ryan.
