Golden State may have ensured Steph Curry will retire a Warrior

The Golden State Warriors are still doing whatever they reasonably can to keep Steph Curry happen despite missing out on big trade this offseason.

The Golden State Warriors may have missed an opportunity to land another supporting star player by not going all-in for Lauri Markkanen, but the team is still clearly doing everything possible to keep their franchise star happy. In an ideal world, the Warriors would've landed a worthy supporting star to do so. However, things fell apart when it mattered most. Golden State may have just done the very best thing, though.

According to recent reports, the Warriors and Curry have agreed to a historic one-year extension which will make Curry the first $60 million per year player in 2026-27. Perhaps most importantly, Curry is now signed with the Warriors through the 2026-27 season. That means, at the earliest, Curry won't be able to hit the open free agency market until he is 39 years old.

Short of Curry demanding a trade in the next couple of seasons, this is the type of extension that may lock him up for the rest of his career in Golden State. Essentially, the Warriors may have ensured that Curry is going to retire as a Warrior.

Can the Golden State Warriors reemerge as a contender?

Money is good and all but I'd still have to imagine that Curry wants to play for a contender before the end of his career. Winning one more NBA Championship still has to be something Curry prioritizes at this point in his career. With how the roster is currently built, I'm afraid that's not something the Warriors can offer at the moment.

I suppose the question is, will that change between now and the NBA Trade Deadline or even now and the start of next season? After missing out on Markkanen, the Warriors are making it seem as if they want to see if their young players can make a big jump this season. Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga are two players the Warriors clearly value. However, they're going to have to make huge leaps in their development heading into next season if they're going to reemerge as contenders.

And for as talented as they are, I'm not sure that's a sustainable blueprint back to contender status next season. The Warriors could always opt to make a mid-season trade for a veteran star. And after paying Curry this money, you'd have to imagine it's a possibility they'll be willing to consider.