The Golden State Warriors look like legitimate contenders once again, and Steph Curry is apparently feeling invigorated by it.
The longtime Warriors star Curry spoke this week in an interview with 95.7 The Game. During the interview, Curry dismissed the possibility of retiring any time soon and said that he would like to play beyond the expiration of his current contract with Golden State (which runs through the 2026-27 season).
“I know my contract is lined up, and I’d like to outplay that, for sure,” said Curry, per ClutchPoints. “I’ve tried to answer that question before and I’ve said a lot of different things just based on how I feel that day. But it’s all measured by the style of ‘Can I get to that level?’ that I expect from myself.
“It’s not attached to points per game or a stats thing,” Curry added. “It’s ‘Can I dominate a game? Can I play my style for 30 minutes a game?’ You reevaluate that every year.”
The former NBA MVP Curry turns 37 later this week but still has fantastic numbers this year of 24.5 points and 6.1 assists per game on 45/40/94 shooting splits. Golden State’s recent trade addition of Jimmy Butler has also extended Curry’s window to compete as Butler has provided the defense, intangibles, complementary scoring, and an ability to win the non-Curry minutes that the Warriors have long lacked. Now 12-2 ever since Butler’s arrival, Golden State now find themselves up to a top-six spot in the Western Conference at 37-28.
That said, Curry will be 39 by the time his contract expires, and he is more prone to bad shooting games these days than he used to be. While his perimeter-oriented style of play is an asset, Curry also relies on constant motion and elusiveness in the halfcourt to be effective, which may suffer as he continues to age.
Interestingly enough, Curry’s contract is aligned with that of Butler, who is a couple of years younger at age 35. While a recent off-court job that Curry just landed sparked some buzz of a possible retirement, it sounds like the 11-time All-Star still feels that he has a few more good years left in him regardless.
