What was the most significant question in the Bay Area this offseason? Stephen Curry’s contract extension. Yes, everyone knew he was eligible to sign a new one, and there was a delay in doing so, but on the eve of training camp, Dub Nation’s tension about their sharpshooter’s future in Golden State was near its peak again.

Thankfully, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and his front office found common ground with Curry, agreeing to a major two-year, $116 million contract extension, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. We say common ground because the Warriors veteran made a couple of sacrifices here. But somehow, there’s no satisfying Dub Nation (more on this later).

By taking less than the $136.7 million maximum extension he was eligible for, Curry has effectively taken a $21 million pay cut. The decision was reportedly intended to give the front office greater luxury tax relief and salary cap flexibility as they navigate the roster’s future.

But it is crucial to note that Golden State didn’t cheap out on efforts to retain their legend. ESPN says the Warriors presented Curry with “several” options, including a reasonable option to wait and not sign anything this offseason. Waiting till next June offered personal gain because Curry could have signed a three-year max contract extension (instead of two years) worth up to $207 million.

The sharpshooter ultimately chose a pay cut and security over either a max contract or the uncertainty of free agency. Curry is currently on an expiring $62.6 million contract. His newly signed deal will reduce his salary to $55.7 million (2027-28) and include a player option for $60.2 million (2028-29).

Interestingly, it’s the first time Curry has signed an extension with an optional year in his nearly two-decade NBA career. The deal also puts his projected career on-court earnings at $652 million, putting him on track to become the first NBA player to cross that mark, according to ESPN. Despite those milestones, the extension has drawn mixed reactions from Dub Nation.

Coming off a 2025–26 campaign in which he was limited to 43 games due to lingering knee issues, reactions from Dub Nation online ranged from frustration about the team’s long-term championship outlook to sharp skepticism about the true impact of his financial concession.

Stephen Curry’s $116 million extension divides Dub Nation; one directly calls the pay cut promise “fake”

After being in limbo about Stephen Curry‘s future in Golden State, even those who were happy he stuck to his ‘Warriors lifer’ declaration felt the team’s chances of a championship were low. Skeptics immediately attacked his annual salary figures.

One posted, “Is he loyal or has he just had a super team his entire career. 60 million a year not hard to stay he’s a bum.”

Another fan bluntly summarized the team’s projected trajectory by asserting he is “condemning himself to the play in.”

The Warriors’ aging core of Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green is 35 or older. Butler isn’t expected to return to the lineup until January, and even that’s an optimistic target. Moses Moody will miss the first few months of the season.

Meanwhile, the Dubs’ big-man duties are limited to Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, both of whom are struggling with durability and will face issues during back-to-backs. Question marks also loom over Brandin Podziemski’s playmaking ceiling.

Only recently, head coach Steve Kerr hinted that Green, in particular, needs to cut back on turnovers and take his shots so that the “game keeps moving.”

On top of that, coming off a postseason in which the Warriors couldn’t get past the Phoenix Suns in the play-in tournament raises serious doubt about this roster. Fans’ belief in the Warriors’ long-term planning has only worsened in recent months, as numerous high-profile trades (LeBron James included) fell flat, leaving the Dubs with nearly the same team as last season.

The ongoing debate over Stephen Curry’s decision also highlighted the double standards often placed on superstar loyalty, as supporters also jumped in to defend the point guard against criticism, noting, “$116M contract, yet Steph finds himself in a lose-lose situation. People are sad. If he would have left, the same people would be calling him a ring chaser. Recognize the greatness & loyalty to GS.”

There’s a line of speculation on the internet that the two-year contract timeline with a player option is the final countdown to Curry’s retirement on his own terms.

Earlier this week, Curry made it clear that he didn’t want “any drama” or “talking points” about his future to cloud the Warriors’ ambitions for next season. At all costs, he wanted his franchise to “be competitive and go win.”

“This team should have flexibility to make necessary moves if things happen,” Curry said. “Those are always just the considerations. For me, information and patience is key. It’s just a very unique situation all the way around based on where we’ve been the last four years, where I’m at in my career, what our team looks like this year and the absolute desperation to win. Trying to balance all that.”

Although Curry spoke of roster flexibility only days ago, fan expectations for bringing better players on board took a hit after they saw his new salary.

Some felt the $58 million average annual value didn’t provide enough of a discount to make a meaningful difference, declaring on Shams Charania’s report, “So the talk about a discount so they can compete was fake.”

Health concerns were another major talking point given Curry’s struggle with runner’s knee. One fan questioned the wisdom of giving a top-tier contract to an aging veteran, stating, “Don’t get me wrong curry is the best player of all time but this is a bit of an overpay for someone who’s been injury prone the last 3 years.”

Although Curry acknowledged his persistent knee problems as the “new normal,” his trainer, Brandon Payne, recently told the San Francisco Chronicle that he’s “taken the ceiling up” on neurocognitive work.

Payne, Warriors VP of player health and performance Rick Celebrini, and Curry’s director of performance Carl Bergstrom jotted down a plan to diversify the Dubs veteran’s workload this summer.

“There’s a point to where, like, ‘OK, we need to step on the gas a little bit just to see how it feels tomorrow, and the next day,’” Payne said. “So you go through these different touch-points through the offseason where, you get up to pretty close to what a game would be, and then you see how the body responds, see how the body reacts. And overwhelmingly, this summer, it’s been extremely positive.”

Despite the visible dip in his fitness, Curry remains an elite scoring engine. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic exceeded Curry in points per game (26.6) and true shooting (63.7 percent). Curry also shot his career-high percentage from 3 to 10 feet, at 59 percent.

Curry has won four championships with Golden State, but none since 2022. He has given the Warriors more time and flexibility to pursue a fifth. Now they have to build a team that can win it. Only time will tell how that plays out.