Stephen Curry is unquestionably the best bang-for-your-buck player in the NBA. As a result of the ankle injuries that plagued the early parts of his career, Curry is earning only $12 million this season.
Curry is set to be a free agent this summer and his days of being the most underpaid player in the league are coming to an end. With the new CBA, Curry will reportedly be able to sign a contract worth $207 million. Following via Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
Currently playing out the last year on a four-year, $44 million extension that he signed in October 2013 at a time that his long-term durability was still being questioned, Curry will be eligible in July for a new deal that sources say would be worth an estimated $207 million over five years, making it the richest contract in league history and paying out an estimated $47 million in the final season (2021-22).
This new rule enables a narrow selection of superstars who are willing to re-sign with their current team to receive up to 35 percent of the salary cap if certain benchmarks are met. As a two-time MVP who has played for the Warriors his entire career, Curry would meet all the qualifications for the maximum allowable salary. A player with Curry’s experience level, under the previous CBA, would have been able to sign for only 30 percent of the cap.
Those are some giant numbers. This is a factor of a superstar-friendly collective bargaining agreement at a time when the cap space is rising at huge amounts due to a new TV deal. Stephen Curry deserves to be paid at the level of the best players in the league, but this could lead to some huge overpays from teams desperate to keep their players.
This will be bigger news in how it affects other stars such as DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George who will be unrestricted free agents in 2018 with the ability to leave perhaps sub-par situations.
