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Stephen Curry’s new super-max is well deserved

By Carlos Murillo

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 27: Stephen Curry
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 27: Stephen Curry /
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Stephen Curry has re-signed with the Golden State Warriors, inking the richest deal in NBA history. He deserves every cent.

Joe Lacob opened up his checkbook like no owner in NBA sports history has ever before. Stephen Curry signed a five year, $201 million deal as soon as free agency opened. It is the richest deal in the history of the National Basketball Association.

In between winning two championships, Curry won his second MVP award, becoming the first player to win the award unanimously. He was doing this all on a very team-friendly deal. He spent the 2016-17 season as the 64th highest-paid player in the NBA.

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Curry wasn’t even the highest-paid player on his own team. In fact, he was the fourth. His salary was smaller than Kevin Durant’s, Klay Thompson’s, and Draymond Green’s. He made just a little over $1 million more than Andre Iguodala.

After ankle injuries and a power struggle slowed Curry down early on in his career, he had question marks around him. While it was clear that he was talented, it was unknown whether or not he could stay on the court long enough to use that talent. So the Warriors offered him a reasonable deal at the time.

Prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, Curry and the Warriors agreed to a contract extension. He signed a four year, $44 million deal. It turned out to be the biggest steal in all of sports.

Curry would then go onto completely turn the franchise around. He would go on a full on assault on the record books. He would change the game of basketball.

Over the last four years, Curry has been an All-Star in every single season. He won the 2015 MVP and championship, 73 games and a second MVP in 2016, and another championship in 2017. He became a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest to ever do it.

He carried guys like David Lee and Andrew Bogut to championships while they made much more money than he did. He quickly became one of the top three players in the league while getting paid less than role players on bad teams. He was extremely underpaid.

So now Steph Curry is getting his money. He’s getting more money than any player in NBA history has ever gotten. And he deserves every single penny of it.

What Curry has done for the Golden State Warriors franchise is something only a few players have done for their franchises. He’s completely changed the culture, leading the Warriors out of mediocrity to historically great and unprecedented heights. But it’s more than what he’s done for the Warriors.

Curry has also revolutionized the game of basketball. His ability to shoot the ball is influencing a generation of players. It’s forcing teams to try to keep up with him. He’s challenging defenses in ways no other player has ever impacted them. The three-point shot is the most important look in the game and it’s because of Curry.

The Warriors are going to have to do some maneuvering after Kevin Durant signs his new deal. They’ve already locked up Shaun Livingston for the next three seasons. They still have more work to do.

Golden State’s top priority at the moment is Andre Iguodala. Then they’ll have to find a way to sign a starting center and round out their bench. Key players like Ian Clark and JaVale McGee are free agents that might sign elsewhere for more money,

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Bob Myers is going to have to get creative with Lacob’s money to put together the team. It doesn’t matter. Curry deserves this money.

He’s given the organization and the game everything he has for a relatively small contract. No player deserved to sign that kind of deal more than Curry. It was about time he got paid.

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