The Golden State Warriors enter this season in a very strange spot. After what they hoped would be a single gap year between contending in which their two stars were hurt, this was supposed to be the bounce back season where they challenged the Lakers for Western Conference supremacy.
However, while Stephen Curry is back at full strength they will once again be without Klay Thompson for the season after he suffered a torn Achilles coming off of a grueling rehab from a torn ACL. It was a devastating injury for the All-Star shooting guard, and the team shuffled their offseason plans to try and still find a way to be in the mix this season, trading for Kelly Oubre Jr. to fill that hole on the wing. How that works out remains to be seen, although there’s hope that Curry, Oubre, and Andrew Wiggins can make for an impactful scoring trio, and the hope remains that Thompson can make a full recovery for next season.
For the 32-year-old Curry, he’s not too worried about where his or the Warriors window is at right now, and the former two-time MVP is working with the team on a hopeful contract extension that can help keep him in the Bay for the entirety of his career, as he told the media in a Zoom call on Monday, via the Associated Press.
“Wearing the same jersey for as long as I can, that’s a huge goal, for sure. It’s an elite club of guys that you look at that have played with the same organization and been successful and achieved greatness in that respect,” said Curry, who turns 33 in March.
“That would be an awesome accomplishment, something I’ve obviously spoken publicly about and very committed to. But that also goes with there’s a lot more to be accomplished on the court and again I can’t fast forward to what the end is going to be. Enjoy the moment, enjoy the challenges that we have in front of us and what I have left to accomplish as a player.”
Curry also noted that his goal is to play at least as long as his father, who had a 16-year career, which would mean at least four more years for Steph, while also noting he hopes to play to “closer to 40,” even if his wife, Ayesha, isn’t always so keen on the idea.
“I have a floating target on that, for sure. Any time I say I want to play up to 40 she’ll definitely give me a little look,” Curry said.
In any case, Curry is ready to lock in with the Warriors for the long haul again, even with some uncertainty about his longtime supporting stars in Thompson and Draymond Green.