Golden State Warriors: 3 reasons Stephen Curry should sign an extension

1. Locks in money as he exits his prime

No fan of the Golden State Warriors wants to hear this, but Stephen Curry is getting older. He is  32 years old, entering his twelfth season in the league. By the time his current contract ends he will be 34. Even charitably counting some active players likely to retire, he is already the 56th-oldest player in the league.

Signing a three-year maximum extension this offseason will ensure he is under contract through the 2024-25 NBA season when he is 37 years old. It is absolutely true that Curry’s game looks to age well. He has decent size for a point guard and his elite shooting should hold up. He can continue to add crafty moves to his arsenal, trying to compensate for a degradation in burst and athleticism.

Yet the simple reality is that he will eventually get old, and that reality could come sooner than he hopes. If he hits free agency in 2022 after showing significant signs of aging, it is unlikely a contract of this magnitude will be on the table. Add in his growing injury history, and Curry would be wise to lock in elite money now, at the expense of career flexibility.

Unlike many stars across the league over the past decade, Curry has shown no signs of wanting to seek greener pastures. He is heavily involved in the community, publicly and privately supportive of the organization, and even spoke recently about his desire to remain with the organization for as long as possible.

There will always be rumors floated for any NBA star. Would Curry want to go “home” to Charlotte to play for the Hornets? Would he want to play alongside a younger superstar to chase another title in [insert city here]? Anyone can invent anything they want.

For now, Curry seems committed to this organization and could join the likes of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Larry Bird in finding championship-level success for an organization and devoting their entire career to them. For that reason, and the obvious financial one, he should put pen to paper and sign an extension before the season begins.