Steph says finishing career with Warriors is a ‘priority'

Share

Media personalities can float all the "will Steph Curry leave the Warriors?" rumors they want.

But that is very, very unlikely to happen.

Curry reiterated in an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols that his goal is to finish his decorated career with the Warriors.

"It's always been a priority," Curry told Nichols on "The Jump" this week. "When you look at guys like Dirk [Nowitzki], Kobe [Bryant], that I played against and I've heard them talk about what that's meant, they don't speak on it lightly. There's a reverence for that club. You never know what could happen, obviously, but I've felt that's always been something that would mean so much to me.

"And you want to stay competitive, you want to stay in that fight, where you're winning championships, and if I can accomplish both, that's the ultimate goal."

Curry is signed for the 2021-22 NBA season, but this summer, he's eligible to sign a new four-year max contract extension worth around $200 million with the Warriors, and barring a catastrophe, all signs point to him putting pen to paper and staying in the Bay Area long-term.

Curry and the Warriors had a chance to finalize a three-year, $156 million contract extension before the current 2020-21 NBA season began, but they let the Dec. 21 deadline pass.

"It wasn't anything that was difficult. No hard conversation," president of basketball operations Bob Myers said in March on 95.7 The Game's "Steiny, Guru & Dibs" show. "It was just, 'Hey, let's talk about it at the end of the year.' 

"So it's really whatever he's hoping to do and wants to do."

On the March 15 episode of "The Jump," former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins wildly speculated that because Curry didn't sign a contract extension in December, he could potentially leave the Warriors after the 2021-22 season and join LeBron James to play with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In early April, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said that he believes LeBron was recruiting Curry during the 2021 NBA All-Star weekend in Atlanta, Ga., to which Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo said was "ridiculous."

Myers was asked about the concept of LeBron recruiting Curry and he told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami he's not worried about it.

"I mean, we're never going to stop hearing this. It doesn't matter if the guy signs an extension or not anymore," Myers told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami on "The TK Show" podcast. "Whether it's one of our guys or any guy, the drumbeat never stops. It's what people want, the rumors of the NBA, especially because you have such high-profile players, it's a little bit like they are celebrities and people can't get enough of rumors and gossip. I think rumors like that or any rumors about a great player will always be there as long as the player is great. All we can do is make our place of work somewhere people can show up and feel like they can compete.

"I think Steph has felt like we have given him a really good chance in his career and time with us to succeed individually and team-wise and that's what we are going to keep trying to do. So I don't really -- you talk about my own sanity, I don't really give those things much credence or else I would have to get out of the business. Because that's today's rumor. They'll be another one tomorrow and the next day. I would say I think Steph is happy and I think he's in a good place and I think things are going to be fine with him."

RELATED: Steph "likes the opportunity" of play-in tournament

Curry and the Warriors appear to be an unbreakable bond. He's the main catalyst for their rise to an NBA power. He put the franchise on the map internationally. He won two NBA MVPs and helped them capture three NBA titles in a five-year NBA Finals run.

Curry-to-the-Lakers might be a fun rumor for some people, but as he stated, his priority is to stay in the Bay Area for the rest of his career.

That likely will be solidified this summer.

Download and subscribe to the Dubs Talk Podcast

Contact Us