Earlier Stephen Curry‘s a two-year, $116 million extension with Warriors was announced Friday night, he expressed confidence in the organization during an appearance on the The Stephen A. Smith Show on Mad Dog Sports SiriusXM Radiorelay Kurt Hellin of NBC Sports. Even with an older roster, Curry believes Golden State is capable of contending for another NBA title.
“You can ask me, you can ask (Coach) Steve Kerryou can ask draymond (green)we still believe we can be that team.” Curry said. “I think our job now is to rethink what that looks like. And, you know, we have a veteran team. We need health on our side. … You can’t just roll the ball out and say, ‘Oh, we’re the Warriors. We’re going to win.’
Curry admitted that the night game in the league is more difficult than when he was younger, especially after he sat out 43 games last season due to physical ailments. He also understands that the end of his career is near, even with a new contract.
“Every day I think about the end of the road” Curry said. “I think that’s fine. I think that’s motivation, right? Like, it’s the idea that … you can’t just not get what you need to do every day and not get the most fun and joy when I’m playing, because win and lose, I’m the most competitive guy in the room, I want to win every game, but I also want to enjoy myself and what I’m doing. And I can only enjoy myself when I’m ready to do what I have to do on parquet. So everything goes hand in hand, and if I don’t acknowledge the end, I won’t appreciate it, if that makes sense.”
More on Warriors:
- Curry’s $20.7 million extension is below the maximum he could have received, giving the team some financial flexibility going forward, notes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Golden State could spend more than $60 million on a strong free agent class next summer, providing an opportunity to land another star before the end of Curry’s career. Curry discussed his fitness earlier this week after a long battle with “runner’s knee” late last season, Poole adds a separate story. Curry said he adopted a new training strategy to build strength in his knee heading into training camp and is “feeling fantastic.”
- Green and Jimmy Butler both have expressed interest in retiring from the Warriors, but they may have to be willing to accept smaller contracts to make that happen, states Nick Friedel of The Athletic. Both players’ deals expire this season, with Green at $27.7 million and Butler at $56.8 million.
- Gary Payton II doesn’t mind being overlooked in the Western Conference playoff race, saying the team has a similar feel to 2021/22 when it exceeded expectations and brought home another title, for Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “There’s not much expected of us, but we still have a pretty good core of veterans and we’ve got some talented young guys.” Peyton said. “This year’s goal, my motto, is to stay healthy and have fun.”