On the eve of the Dubs’ training camp, Stephen Curry confirmed his Warriors Lifer commitment by signing a two-year, $116 million contract extension. Though he took $20 million less, it still awed many that 38-year-old Curry can command a sizeable salary at an age where most players have suffered statistical or physical regression. Former Golden State Warriors players Nick Young and Gilbert Arenas reacted to Curry’s massive payday with total disbelief.
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On the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, SwaggyP, Gil, and Baron Davis reacted to Stephen Curry’s extension that keeps the 4x champion locked in the Bay Area at least till he’s 40.
Young, who won the 2018 championship with the Warriors, marveled at his former teammate’s longevity and earning power late in his career, asking host Josiah Johnson, “People getting paid at this age? How old is he, 38, 39?”
Even Arenas agreed, “Yeah. It’s crazy.”
“It’s crazy, bro,” Young added. “Have y’all ever seen like somebody almost…”
“Never… it’s never happened,” Arenas insisted. “I don’t know what they’re using. Just keep doing it.”
Davis also agreed, while Young questioned how modern sports science allows veteran guards to maintain high-level physical performance well into their late thirties:
“It can’t be that’s technology that changed. The body is the body at 39 and 40.”
In typical NoChillGil fashion, Arenas told Swaggy to not question the process. “Listen, we just go… we don’t want to know. Okay?… Hey, hey, we don’t want to know whatever they doing in Atlanta. Keep performing so I can keep watching you on TV year after year after year.”
Beyond the sheer numbers, the panel turned its attention to the financial mechanics of the contract. While Curry’s $116 million extension represents a massive figure, it falls approximately $20 million short of the two-year, $136.7 million maximum extension he was eligible to sign under the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Johnson voiced frustration with superstar players taking pay cuts to assist front office flexibility under the league’s restrictive salary cap aprons:
“$116 million. He gave back 20 million to this Warrior franchise, trying to keep them under the second apron. My least favorite thing about the NBA. I hate seeing superstar players have to give back bread to help billionaire owners.”
“That’s always been the argument,” Arenas responded. “You got your millionaires sacrificing for the billionaires, right? And that’s really what it is… They going to continue to make money.”
Davis added that players often look back years later, questioning those financial compromises:
“And then 20 years later, you going to be like, ‘Damn, dog. I shouldn’t have took nothing off the table.'”
Beyond the dollar value of that contract, many also questioned why the Warriors only gave Curry two more years.
But under the NBA’s Over-38 rule, the number of years veterans like Curry, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Kevin Durant can sign an extension is restricted. Player options, roster building, and leaving money on the table become a factor in these negotiations.
Veteran Warriors insider, Monte Pool, reported that the Warriors had offered a maximum contract. But the Chef felt leaving cap flexibility was the right option.
At Warriors Media Day, Curry addressed his decision to sign a team-friendly extension rather than holding out for a max deal or free agency, explaining that keeping Golden State competitive remained his top priority:
“Without knowing the answers to the test, it was my best way to study for it, if that makes sense.”
By taking $20 million less than his maximum allowable extension, Curry, who confirmed he’s doing better after last season’s runner’s knee sidelined him for 20 games, provided General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Golden State front office with crucial breathing room below the tax aprons.
Staying below the hard apron limits allows the Warriors to retain vital trade mechanics, including salary aggregation, trade exceptions, and full access to mid-level exceptions as they seek roster upgrades.
With teammates Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody managing early-season injuries, the financial flexibility engineered by Curry’s extension gives Golden State the assets and cap space needed to pursue potential trade targets or roster additions as it aims to maximize the legend’s remaining window.