02 July, 2017
Curry's new contract, which was confirmed early Saturday morning during the NBA's free agency period, will pay the two-time league MVP a whopping $201 million of the course of five years.
LeBron is fresh off his latest Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, and even though his Cavaliers lost convincingly in five games, Butler thinks LeBron is still the best player in the world.
The Warriors point guard had been on a four-year, $44 million contract, an extension that he signed when there were grave concerns about the sturdiness of his ankles. A new provision in the NBA's most recent collective bargaining agreement allowed All-NBA honorees and MVPs to sign "super-max" contracts with their incumbent teams, and Steph took full advantage.
That figure is dwarfed by the league's highest-earner, LeBron James, who stands to earn US$33.3 million next season and US$35.6 million in 2018-2019.
Curry's new deal got serious props from LeBron James, whom he has faced in the past three Finals. It is held down by the league's salary cap - a "soft cap" of $99 million, with various convoluted exceptions, for each team's entire roster - but also by the NBA's cap on individual contracts. "And I know he wants to be here and we want him here". Curry had 26 points and 13 rebounds during Game 3. That six-figure sum shattered the previous record for the most costly game-worn item auctioned off by the National Basketball Association, previously held by Kobe Bryant's jersey from the 2015-16 All-Star Game in his final season.
