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Warriors open 2026-27 with Curry extended to 2028-29 and Green on a one-year deal: what Bay Area players can learn about contract years

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 24, 2026. Last updated October 24, 2026.

The Golden State Warriors opened the 2026-27 season on October 21, 2026 with a 127-105 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, per NBC Sports Bay Area. This post is not about that game. It uses two Warriors contracts to explain how NBA deals work, because Bay Area players and parents can read the same terms in any contract they see.

Which Warriors contracts matter as the 2026-27 season begins?

Two deals frame the season: Stephen Curry's salary of about $62.6 million and Draymond Green's one-year, $27.7 million contract. Curry's 2026-27 salary comes from a one-year extension that the Associated Press reported as nearly $63 million, the most the Warriors could offer under league rules, per ABC News and the Associated Press. CBS Sports dated that extension August 29, 2024 and said it keeps him under contract through 2026-27, per CBS Sports.

Curry's new extension was reported on September 25, 2026. The Associated Press said it is worth $116 million over two years and keeps him through the 2028-29 season, per KRON4 and the Associated Press. The Warriors did not disclose terms, so the dollar figure comes from a source. Podziemski's five-year, $110 million extension is from a season preview dated October 14, 2026, per The Daily Independent.

What is a contract year, and who is in one with the Warriors?

A contract year is the last season of a player's current deal, when the next contract is still undecided. Draymond Green is in one: he signed a one-year, $27.7 million deal through 2026-27 on July 30, 2026, per NBA.com. NBA.com says the deal is the same as the one he opted out of before the 2026 free agency window. He is entering his 15th season with the Warriors, the only team that has drafted him, at No. 35 in the 2012 draft.

Curry's current contract also ends after 2026-27, but he has already signed what comes next. That is the main lesson. An early extension takes the guessing out of a contract year, and a one-year deal puts the player back at the table next summer. The first gives security. The second gives flexibility and carries the risk of an injury or a bad stretch before the next negotiation.

The same ideas apply to a rookie. How a first deal ends and an extension begins is explained in the guide to rookie scale extensions and restricted free agency.

How far below the maximum was Curry's new extension?

About $20 million. The Associated Press reported that Curry could have received up to $136 million under NBA rules and agreed to $116 million, per KRON4. That is a difference of $20 million over two years, found by subtracting the two reported figures.

The rules set a ceiling on an extension, and a player and team can agree to less. The Warriors' general manager, Mike Dunleavy, said, "We couldn't be more excited about reaching an agreement with Stephen and extending his historic career with the Warriors," per the same report. How the Curry deal compares with LeBron James's minimum contract is in the Curry and LeBron contracts comparison.

How do the salary cap and the aprons limit what a team can pay?

The NBA salary cap for 2026-27 is $164.961 million, and the second apron is $221.686 million, per the NBA. The league also set the tax level at $200.428 million and the first apron at $209.015 million. Every contract on a roster is paid out of that one structure.

Curry's $62.6 million is about 38% of the cap, found by dividing it by $164.961 million. A star's deal leaves less room for everyone else, which is why teams and players negotiate length and amount together. At the other end, Georges Niang signed a one-year minimum deal worth $3.9 million, per The Daily Independent. The cap rules, aprons and exceptions are laid out in how the NBA salary cap works, and the minimum scale is in the 2026-27 NBA minimum salary guide.

What does an agent do in a contract year?

An agent negotiates the deal, and the players' union caps what the agent can charge. The NBPA regulations set the maximum fee at 4% of the compensation negotiated for contracts above the minimum and 2% for minimum-salary contracts, per the NBPA Regulations Governing Player Agents. Player and agent can agree to a lower fee. First-round rookies on the scale follow a separate formula.

The Associated Press reported that Curry's agent, Jeff Austin of Octagon, confirmed the 2024 extension, per ABC News. For scale, 4% of a $10 million season is $400,000. That is an illustration of the cap, not a report of any player's fee. Families choosing representation can start with how NBA agents are certified.

What can Bay Area players and parents take from these contracts?

Read the length, the guarantee and the exit dates before the dollar amount. These steps apply to any contract, from a high school NIL deal to a pro offer.

• One year is the length of Green's deal, so the next negotiation starts the day the season ends.
• Two years is the length of Curry's new extension, and a longer term fixes pay for longer.
• 4% is the most an NBA agent can charge above the minimum, so ask any agent for the fee in writing.

Money that is owed if a player is cut depends on the guarantee terms, which are explained in the guide to guaranteed contracts. For players still working toward a first deal, the two-way contract guide and the Bay Area pro pathway guide show where the first contracts come from.