Stephen Curry puts retirement rumors to bed with contract expectations
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When the Golden State Warriors traded for star forward Jimmy Butler, there were rumors that these next two seasons could be the twilight run of all-time NBA legend Stephen Curry.
Discussing Curry’s potential retirement on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, with Baron Davis, the four-time All-Star recalled a conversation with his long-time teammate about participating in his “Last Ride” through the NBA.
“[Steph] looked at me, and he said, ‘Man, it’s crazy because it just dawned on me that, like, this is it. This is the last ride,'” Green explained following the Dubs acquisition of Butler. “And I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ It was an emotional moment.”
Following their blockbuster trade with the Miami Heat, Golden State extended Butler for two years and $111 million, aligning the five-time All-NBA team member with the end of Curry and Green’s current contracts in 2027. Butler’s extension seemed to signal to the NBA world that the Warriors were prepared to embark on a final two-and-a-half-year championship window with their newly built core.
Fortunately, Curry eased some fans’ concerns about that “Last Dance” notion in an appearance on the Steiny and Guru show.
“I know my contract is lined up, and I’d like to outplay that, for sure,” Curry said on 95.7 The Game. “I’ve tried to answer that question before and I’ve said a lot of different things just based on how I feel that day. But it’s all measured by the style of ‘Can I get to that level?’ that I expect from myself. It’s not attached to points per game or a stats thing; it’s can I dominate a game? Can I play my style for 30 minutes a game? You reevaluate that every year.”
For Curry this season, age has crept up on the two-time MVP. The soon-to-be-37-year-old has been managing knee tendonitis all season long, which has kept him from playing on certain back-to-backs. Head coach Steve Kerr has been trying to keep Curry under certain minute thresholds to help manage his health and extend his career.
“I feel good. I’ve learned my body more than I’ve had to in previous years,” Curry said about his health as of right now. “Obviously, the ankle injuries earlier in my career, coming off the hand surgery five-six years ago, and what this year was, I’ve learned my body, I’ve learned what it needs to do to get right, and over the last two months I’ve been able to commit to that process.”
Sitting in the sixth seed, only half a game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors will look to preserve Curry’s health for the postseason to make a run at his fifth NBA championship.
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