The bulk of the 2024 NBA offseason is behind us. The draft came and went, the free agency flurry has resulted in every unemployed big-name player finding a home, and trades — or lack thereof — have shuffled rosters. There’s not too much to do except wait for the season to begin which, for the Golden State Warriors, will happen on October 23.
But GMs are still working. We know that Mike Dunleavy Jr. is on the phones every day, chasing trades that could bring a second star to the Bay Area ... or even just provide a marginal upgrade somewhere on the roster. And, in addition to doing that, Dunleavy and his team have something else on their minds: extensions.
October 21 — the day before the season begins — is the deadline for extension-eligible players to sign extensions with their teams. The Dubs have three notable names that they’ll be talking with: Steph Curry, who can tack on one year at $62.6 million to the end of his current contract (which runs through the 2025-26 season), and Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, who are eligible for maximum rookie extensions of five years and roughly $225 million (the actual figure will fluctuate depending on the cap).
If the Warriors don’t extend any of those players by October 21, then they’ll have to table discussions until next offseason. At that point, Curry will be approaching the final year of his deal, while Kuminga and Moody will be restricted free agents.
So how likely is an extension agreement with each player? Let’s break them down, one-by-one.
Steph Curry
Curry’s extension option is at least a simple matter, because the Warriors don’t have to think about it, and there won’t be any negotiations. Kuminga and Moody won’t be getting maximum extensions, so even if they agree to deals, it will take some back-and-forth between Dunleavy and Co. and the players’ management before arriving at a number.
That’s not the case with Curry. As The Athletic’s Anthony Slater recently wrote, “If Curry wants to tack on that extra year anywhere up to that max of $62.6 million, the Warriors would be willing. It’s a position they’ve maintained privately and publicly.”
It’s really just a matter of whether Curry wants to commit to that season. The benefit for him? Added security. The downside? It removes the flexibility to leave the organization in search of greener pastures, and he could be worried that it sends the signal that he’s comfortable with the direction of the franchise, instead of applying pressure on them to improve the team around him.
Slater also reported that the two sides won’t talk anytime soon, as Curry wants an extended break from all things basketball as he decompresses from the 2024 Olympics and prepares for a 16th NBA season. They’ll probably resume talks when training came gets underway, and it still seems like all signs point to Curry wanting to stay with the only team he’s ever known.
The verdict: More likely than not.
Jonathan Kuminga
It’s amazing how far Kuminga and the Warriors have come in less than a year. Remember, it was just January when reports broke that Kuminga had lost faith in Steve Kerr, and didn’t think he could reach his potential with the organization.
Now Kuminga feels like a core part of the Warriors, and many probably feel that he’s entering the season as the team’s second-best player. And he’s still a few months away from turning 22, so his best days are almost surely ahead of him.
The Warriors undoubtedly want to keep him around, but it’s complicated. The last time they were in this situation, they inked Jordan Poole to a massive extension, and that contract immediately became an albatross that they were lucky to be able to dump.
I’m not sure they’re worried about that with Kuminga, if he signed for the same price as Poole. But one of the reason why non-max rookie extensions are fairly rare is because players are more confident in their abilities than teams are. Why should Kuminga settle for a deal that reflects the player he is now, when he could play out the year, presumably improve — possibly even to an All-Star level — and then cash in on the player he is then?
That’s what makes this difficult. Kuminga isn’t yet a star, and the Warriors can’t be fully confident that he’ll turn into one. But he’s likely confident that he will, and he has the right to negotiate from that standpoint, since he can hit the open market next summer.
Still, he’s feeling like a core part of the organization, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they go a little above what they’re comfortable with to avoid seeing his price rise further in restricted free agency.
The verdict: 50/50, but I really don’t know at all.
Moses Moody
A lot of what I said about Kuminga applies to Moody, just at a lower level. The Warriors value him, but do they value him as much as he thinks someone else will value him after another season?
My guess is no. The Warriors like Moody, but they’ve never committed to giving him consistent minutes, a big role, or a part in the core of what they’re building. If they don’t give him a really good offer, I’d expect him to want to enter free agency and pursue if not a bigger payday, then at least a bigger role somewhere.
The verdict: Unlikely.
