Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors Summer Was Salvaged After All

It's not a No. 2 scorer to alleviate the pressure of carrying an entire franchise still hopeful of contending for NBA championships, but for now, it will have to do.

While Stephen Curry was preparing for the Paris Olympics, where he would produce memorable Summer Games moments against Serbia and France, his NBA employer — the Golden State Warriors — were diligently searching for a legitimate secondary scorer to pair with their franchise legend. They engaged in talks to acquire an All-Star forward, first Paul George and then Lauri Markkanen, but both efforts came up empty.

Not even an offseason in which the roster was upgraded with the additions of reliable rotation pieces in DeAnthony Melton and Kyle Anderson and a 3-point marksman in Buddy Hield could overcome the disappointment of not landing another star to share the scoring burden with the 36-year-old Curry.

On Thursday, the next-best news arose. Curry and the Warriors reportedly agreed to a one-year, $62.6 million contract extension to keep the four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP at Golden State through the 2026-27 season.

The additional year aligns Curry's deal with fellow dynasty lynchpin Draymond Green, whose four-year, $100 million contract expires in 2027. Green has a player option for that final season, but now it's likely that he will play out his deal with his good friend Curry.

In February, head coach Steve Kerr signed a two-year, $35 million extension to take his contract through the 2025-26 season. Will he be around to coach Curry and Green in the final years of their deals? That'll surely become a storyline of its own.

For now, the Warriors can relish the fact they have Curry locked in for three more seasons, giving them more time to assemble a contending roster around the 10-time All-Star.

With the departure of fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks in free agency, any substantial help for Curry will have to come from within, namely from breakthroughs by Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski.

Reportedly, the Warriors were unwilling to include Podziemski, the 2023-24 NBA all-rookie first-team selection, in a trade for Markkanen with the Utah Jazz. Team owner Joe Lacob even called the 21-year-old "a future All-Star."

Potential, however great, is never guaranteed. Golden State is painfully aware of that with the disastrous selection of James Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Curry should be content now that his extension has been handled. But, as his Paris Olympics performance showed, he's very much capable of producing championship-winning heroics. Now he just needs a roster of that caliber.