Brian Windhorst Urges Warriors to Delay Steph Curry Extension

Steph Curry is eligible to sign a lucrative new contract extension with the Golden State Warriors later this summer, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes the franchise should take a completely different approach.

Windhorst argued that Golden State’s best chance of building another championship-calibre roster is to convince Curry to wait before signing a new deal.

“He is 38 years old,” Windhorst told host Mike Greenberg and fellow panelists Monica McNutt and Jay Williams. “He has said that he wants to play several more seasons. The Warriors are not giving up. They are missing and swinging a lot, but they are still swinging. The idea that the Warriors are a championship contender this year is ridiculous. They are not. But the idea that the Warriors are finished and cooked and never competing again, I give you the 76ers. They are going to keep trying.

“And one of the ways they can keep trying, quite frankly, is if Steph Curry doesn’t sign a contract extension this summer. Everyone’s watching to see if he will sign a contract extension.

“I submit [that] the Warriors should say, ‘Don’t sign a contract extension, let yourself become a free agent next summer. We’ll do a one-year deal with Draymond Green. Let’s clear $90 million in cap space and see what we can do in the market next year.’ You can’t win every year. Steph is going to try every year. The Warriors are going to keep trying. I don’t want to hear boo-hoo about an organization that went to six Finals in 10 years and won four championships, and is still working with a 38-year-old star.”

The proposal would allow Golden State to potentially enter the 2027 offseason with Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler all coming off the books, creating enough cap room to chase another superstar before re-signing Curry on a smaller contract.

Golden State has aggressively pursued marquee additions over the past two offseasons, including LeBron James, but has repeatedly come up short. If those swings continue to miss, Windhorst believes patience rather than another immediate extension could prove to be the Warriors’ smartest move.