Stephen Curry lands $44M contract extension
Stephen Curry told Yahoo! Sports he has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Curry is expected to sign the extension prior to Wednesday's season opener against the Phoenix Suns. A league source told Yahoo! Sports the Warriors initially had contract discussions on a smaller contract extension that would pay Curry $8.5 million in the first year and $10 million in the fourth because of concerns over Curry's lingering ankle issues. But a day after Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract extension, Golden State upped the ante to re-sign Curry prior to Wednesday's midnight ET deadline. Curry would have been a restricted free agent after the season if a deal wasn't reached.
"I'm excited about getting the deal done," Curry said. "Now I can focus on basketball and staying healthy. I always wanted to get it done before the season started. Now I got it done."
Curry was limited to 26 games last season because of his ankle injury. His scoring average dropped to 14.7 points after being nearly four points higher the previous season. His surgically repaired ankle also caused him to miss the end of preseason. Curry, however, is expected to play Wednesday night. The Bay Area Newspaper Group first broke the story of Curry's signing.
"My ankle was a big factor in the [contract extension] number," Curry said. "They had to protect themselves a little bit."
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