Golden State Warriors: Setting expectations for pending free agents

Jun 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

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Stephen Curry

Curry’s free agency is simple: He’s going to get everything he wants. Yes, Kevin Durant, the Finals MVP, is likely going to take a pay cut. Yes, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson did the same. But there are two circumstances that make Curry’s situation distinctly different.

First, the Warriors have no legitimate reason to ask Curry to take less than the full max. They will be operating as an over the cap team for the duration of this era of dominance, and any money saved on Curry will simply be money saved for Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.

This goes into the second reason: The Warriors owe Curry everything. Forget that he spent the last four years playing on a grotesquely below-market deal; even at his max, Curry would have been the second-best contract in the NBA after LeBron James. He turned the Warriors into everything they are today, and he’s in his prime. Anything that a team can legally put in a contract is his if he asks for it.

Projection: Five years, $201 million (fifth-year player option, no-trade clause)

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