Fourteen years ago, Golden State made a decision that briefly turned its own fans against the franchise. On March 20, 2012, owner Joe Lacob was booed inside Oracle Arena after the Warriors traded Monta Ellis to Milwaukee. The move cleared the way for Stephen Curry, an undersized guard whose career had already been slowed by serious ankle problems. Chris Mullin eventually stepped in and asked the crowd to give the new ownership group a chance.

The gamble worked. Now Curry is the player Golden State is trying to keep for the rest of his career, and on Saturday, he gets to decide how that final chapter begins.

According to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, “All the power, as it usually does, resides in Stephen Curry’s hands. Saturday, Aug. 29, marks the first day the 38-year-old superstar can sign a max extension with the Golden State Warriors.”

Curry can sign a two-year, $136.7 million extension that would keep him in Golden State through the 2028-29 season, when he would be 40. If he puts pen to paper, the deal would also move him past LeBron James in career NBA earnings. Aug. 29, however, is not a deadline. It is simply the first day he can sign, and he can wait until June 30, 2027.

And that is where the decision gets interesting. Curry can take the money and the milestone now, or wait to see what the Warriors do next.

“I’ve always said I want to be a Warrior for life. At this stage of my career, I think that’s possible. You see guys like Kobe, Dirk, Tim Duncan—guys who stayed in one place their entire career. That’s a rare club, and it’s something I value deeply,” Curry said.

But Curry has never separated that loyalty from his desire to win.

“I can clearly say I want to be a Warrior for life. But if the situation is one where you’re just bottom-feeding, that’s tough to accept. I want to win. Let’s put it that way. I want to compete for titles. That’s why we play.”

The contract itself is enormous. Curry can sign for $136.69 million over two additional seasons, with a projected $65.72 million salary in 2027-28 and $70.97 million in 2028-29.

Added to his existing 2026-27 salary, that would lock Curry into roughly $199.3 million over the three seasons from 2026-27 through 2028-29.

The money matters, but the timing may be even more important.

Curry does not have to sign Saturday

Curry could lock himself into Golden State through 2028-29 on Saturday. But he does not have to.

Golden State enters the 2026-27 season with Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all approaching major contract decisions in 2027. If Curry signs now, his new $65.7 million salary for 2027-28 becomes part of the Warriors’ books.

If he waits, Golden State has more room to reshape the roster in 2027.

The Warriors could have a lot of room in 2027

Curry’s contract is not the only one coming into focus. Jimmy Butler is entering the final guaranteed year of his deal, while Draymond Green’s contract is also approaching a decision point. Depending on what happens with Curry, Golden State could have roughly $144 million in veteran salary to work with or potentially clear heading into the 2027 offseason.

That gives the Warriors something they need: options. They could use that flexibility to chase another star, make a major trade or reshape the roster around Curry before using Bird Rights to bring him back.

The Warriors also spent the offseason trying to add another major piece, including a pursuit of LeBron James that ultimately ended with James choosing Philadelphia. Golden State then kept its young core rather than giving up major assets for a move that did not clearly raise its ceiling.

That leaves Curry with a different question from the one the LeBron pursuit raised. It is no longer, “Who can Golden State add?” It is, “What can Golden State still do?”

Brian Windhorst has also pointed to the value of Curry waiting.

“He is 38 years old. He has said that he wants to play several more seasons. The Warriors are not giving up. They are missing and swinging a lot, but they are still swinging… And one of the ways they can keep trying, quite frankly, is if Steph Curry doesn’t sign a contract extension this summer…”

Golden State finished 37-45 last season and was eliminated by Phoenix in the second stage of the Play-In Tournament. Jimmy Butler’s ACL injury was a major part of the collapse, and his return is now another major variable for the Warriors.

Butler suffered the injury on Jan. 19 and is targeting a return around January 2027. That means Golden State could begin the season without one of the players it expected to rely on most heavily alongside Curry.

Mike Dunleavy clarifies his stance around Stephen Curry

Mike Dunleavy has made the Warriors’ position clear.

“I’m pretty confident Steph will finish his career here. But ultimately, it’s his call, his decision. Whether that’s allowing his contract to run out and move on or look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, (Warriors owner) Joe (Lacob) and I will talk it through. We wouldn’t love it, but he’s earned the right to (go) where he wants and do those things. But as far as the messaging or any idea that he would be anywhere else, that’s not a thing we’re looking at, or he’s looking at.”

The harder part is giving Curry confidence that the roster around him can still give him a real chance to compete for another championship—and that could determine whether he signs now or waits.

Curry will enter his 18th NBA season at 38. He averaged 26.6 points per game and shot 39.3% from three last season, but he also played only 43 games because of injuries.

The contract can guarantee the money. It cannot guarantee the basketball.

Curry has been here before

Curry’s relationship with Golden State has been shaped by contract decisions long before this one.

In October 2012, with his ankle problems still a major concern, Curry agreed to a four-year, $44 million extension. The Warriors had reportedly told him they could pay him a larger maximum contract if he waited and proved he was healthy.

Curry took the security.

That contract became an enormous bargain for Golden State as Curry developed into a superstar. It also helped preserve the financial flexibility that eventually played a role in building the championship team around him, including the addition of Kevin Durant in 2016.

Fourteen years later, the numbers are completely different. Curry is no longer the young guard trying to prove his body can hold up. He is a four-time champion deciding how much longer he wants to play.

Golden State has spent years showing Curry that it is willing to pay to keep him.

His 2017 five-year, $201.2 million supermax was the first $200 million contract in NBA history. His 2021 extension was worth $215.4 million over four years. In August 2024, the Warriors added another year at $62.6 million to keep him under contract through 2026-27.

The Warriors have never really hesitated to pay Curry. Now the basketball commitment is.

For most of his career, Curry’s future with Golden State has felt inseparable from the franchise itself.

Now, for the first time in years, the timing of that future is in his hands.

The Warriors have two years and $136.7 million waiting for him. They also have a roster that still needs to prove it can compete at the level Curry expects, a returning Butler, a young core the front office has chosen not to sacrifice and a potential financial reset waiting in 2027.

Curry can sign on Aug. 29 and lock everything in.

Or he can wait.

Signing would put him ahead of LeBron James in career NBA earnings and lock in his future with the Warriors. Waiting would give him something else: time to see whether Golden State can build a team he still wants to spend the final years of his career with.

For a player who has already given Golden State four championships, that may be the more revealing choice.

Because this time, Stephen Curry is not asking the Warriors to believe in him.

He is giving them time to show that he can still believe in them.