Draymond Green was being paid more than Stephen Curry by the Golden State Warriors until he signed his Supermax contract. Around a year ago, Curry appeared on Green’s “Draymond Green Show” podcast. The two talked about how Green was paid more than Curry for several years, the latter being the 5th or 6th highest-paid player on the roster. He was paid $3 million less than Green, just so they could beat LeBron James’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Stephen Curry’s contract allowed the Golden State Warriors to bring in Kevin Durant on a 2-year deal. Curry suggested that the success the Warriors had, especially against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers made the contract worth the trouble.
Draymond Green was earning more than Stephen Curry for a number of years
Stephen Curry’s talent might have been obvious for everyone to see right from the first season. However, his fitness concerns also played a role in the $44 million contract that he signed in 2012.
Curry earned an annual salary of around $11 million and could have held out for more. However, according to Draymond Green, that would have led to a domino effect for the franchise.
Green signed a $82 million, 5-year deal in July 2015 which meant he earned more than $16 million per year. Curry, who only signed the supermax extension in July 2017, earned around $5 million less than Green.
Green said that the Warriors would have been forced to choose between Klay Thompson and himself had Curry held out for more money. He also said that the front office would never have signed Andre Iguodala, and would have found it impossible to sign Kevin Durant in 2016 as well.
Stephen Curry feels his $44 million contract was worth signing
There is little doubt that Curry is the most important figure in the Golden State Warriors success. Without Curry’s $44 million contract, the Warriors would have lost either Draymond Green or Klay Thompson or both!
Furthermore, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala would not have played for the Warriors. Iguodala played a major role in restricting the likes of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, allowing the Warriors to win their first championship since 1975.
In the years that followed, the two teams battled it out in the NBA Finals four times! all of it consecutively! The Warriors won three of those finals, allowing Curry and company to lay down a legacy that will be remembered for decades to come.
During the interview, Curry also claimed that his $44 million contract was still more money than his father ever earned in the NBA. He only wanted to be healthy and provide security to his family, and both things became easy with a yearly contract worth $11 million.
He now makes the most money in a year in NBA contracts. Talk about waiting for your reward.
