Steph playing until he's 40? Myers hopes he's like Brady

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Pondering the Warriors roster he’d like to have a few years from now, president/general manager Bob Myers wraps a band of humor around a kernel of conceivability.

He fantasizes of Steph Curry, 32, still destroying defenders in 2025. Maybe even 2026, 2027 or 2028.

“The plan is we're hoping Curry can be like a Tom Brady type,” Myers told NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday, chuckling at the thought of eight more years with No. 30. “We’re hoping he can be 40, or whatever it is, and pulling up from half court and being as effective and on some special diet.”

Crazy, huh?

Yes. But not insane. Vince Carter, after all, played until he was 43 -- the exact age Brady turned last August, one month before taking his first snap of this NFL season.

There is much to consider here, beginning with the fact that Curry is that rare combination of exquisite shooter, marvelous playmaker and fitness freak. Steve Nash, cut from similar cloth, led the league in assists at 37, shot 53.2 percent from the field at 38 and shot 43.8 percent from deep at 39.

Second, pure shooters generally are the last to decline. Reggie Miller averaged 14.8 points per game at age 39. Ray Allen was firing accurate 3-balls at 38.

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Third, genetics tend to play a role. Stephen’s father, Dell Curry, didn’t launch his final 3-pointer until he was a couple months from turning 38. He still knows the bottom of the net.

“I fell into a mistake one day and played Dell Curry in H-O-R-S-E and just got completely embarrassed,” Myers, a former UCLA player who is 11 years younger than Dell.

“Shooters don't stop learning how to shoot. I never was one and I'm not one, so I can't relate. Look, that’s a good thing. That is a fact. Shooters age well.”

Fourth and perhaps most significant, Stephen Curry is positioned to exploit advancements in modern medicine and training. These are factors in why Kyle Korver is firing triples at 39, why J.J. Redick is going strong at 36 and why Andre Iguodala might be swiping passes and dunking in transition until at least 38.

We also must mention LeBron James, who turns 36 next month and remains terrific despite a career logging more total NBA minutes – regular season and playoffs – than anyone, ever, not named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Karl Malone.

Finally, there is this: Curry’s personal trainer, Brandon Payne, all but issued a warning in September as a guest on “The Habershow” podcast with NBC Sports NBA Insider Tom Haberstroh.

“He's a young 32. He's still gaining strength, he's still gaining power, he's still getting faster,” Payne said. “Those aren't things you see out of guys that are 32 years old.

“He's still refining movement patterns, and all athletes develop at different speeds ... not only is his skill level evolving continually, but is body still is developing. And that is a rare thing for a guy at 32 in the NBA."

RELATED: Curry ready for 2020-21 season after long hiatus

Curry has made no projections regarding longevity. He’s competitive and loves the game. He wouldn’t rule out playing at 40 unless, of course, golf steals him from the NBA.

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