Why Arenas believes Steph’s ‘bad’ contract built Warriors’ dynasty originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Superstars are the driving force of NBA dynasties, but one player-turned-pundit believes Steph Curry’s second NBA contract is the key to the Warriors’ dynasty.
Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas explained on his “Gils Arena Show” how the four-year, $44 million contract Curry signed in 2013 set up Golden State for a decade of success.
“Dynasties are made off of bad contracts,” Arenas said. “If I can get one of you stupid asses to sign some bad deal, it helps my franchise build. Like New York, what [Jalen] Brunson did. That’s considered a bad deal. That’s going to help them in the future because they have so much money saved. When Steph won a championship, was he the third-highest paid player on the team?
“I got you for four years, $44 million. If you become a two-time All-Star, two-time MVP, cool. When the four years come in, I can make you a higher offer. But right now, I got you for pennies on the dollar. And in those next four years, I can keep adding players.”
Arenas further clarified his stance amongst some confusion with his co-hosts, stating how Curry’s below-market deal gave the Warriors significant financial flexibility to build a juggernaut that made five consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
“Steph Curry signed a bad deal, which created a dynasty,” Arenas said. “If Steph Curry was Steph Curry earlier, he would have signed a rookie max, which would have handicapped them in the backend. But because he signed a bad deal at the beginning, it created a backend dynasty.”
Curry signed the team-friendly deal after ankle injuries forced him to miss a significant chunk of games across his first three NBA seasons. The additional salary-cap space allowed the Warriors to sign Andre Iguodala, who proved to be an invaluable asset during Golden State’s dynastic run.
The Warriors won their first NBA title in the second year of Curry’s deal, and they made three total Finals appearances and won two during the four years of the contract.
Curry’s deal unquestionably aided Golden State’s ability to construct an incredible roster, but whether or not it served as the driving force behind that success remains a subjective opinion.
