Steph Ain't Leaving: Warriors GM Pours Cold Water on Curry Exit Talk

SAN FRANCISCO — Relax, Dub Nation. The Chef isn't walking out of the kitchen.

With just three weeks until Stephen Curry becomes extension-eligible, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy came out swinging Tuesday, making it crystal clear that the greatest shooter in NBA history is staying put.

"He hasn't said any different," Dunleavy said. "That's always been the message. That's always been what he's discussed. I think that's tracking quite well."

Curry is entering Year 18 with Golden State on an expiring $62.5 million deal. But come August 29, the two-time MVP can ink a massive two-year, $136.7 million extension. And while the Basketball Gods love drama, Dunleavy insists there's no saga brewing here.

"Ultimately it's his call, his decision, whether that's allowing his contract to run out and move on," Dunleavy said. "Look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, Joe (Lacob) and I will talk it through. We wouldn't love it. But he's earned the right to do what he wants. But as far as the messaging or any idea that he'd be anywhere else, that's not a thing we're looking at or he's looking at."

The Harsh Reality Check

But let's not pretend everything is golden in Golden State. This was a painfully quiet summer. The Warriors took a swing at LeBron James on a bargain deal, whiffed, and then ran it back with the same core — re-signing Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II to short-term contracts.

Meanwhile, the injury report looks like a horror movie. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody — the starting wings — both suffered significant knee injuries last season and are expected to miss a massive chunk of the upcoming campaign. Porzingis was limited to just 32 games due to illness and Achilles tendinitis. Horford sat out 37 games with a calf strain and sciatica. Melton spent the first half of last season recovering from a torn ACL.

Oh, and did we mention Curry himself missed 39 games with a persistent right knee issue that brought swelling and dull pain?

"Constructing (the roster), we had to make a decision between talent and availability," Dunleavy admitted. "There was no perfect solution in terms of the combination of the two. We leaned a little bit more toward talent... We are taking on some risk there, but I think we value the talent over maybe finding guys that were perfectly healthy."

Can This Core Still Contend?

Dunleavy's internal goal for the season? Just make the dang playoffs. His path to contention involves getting Butler and Moody back, catching some health luck, and using flexibility and assets to upgrade at the trade deadline. That's a lot of "ifs" for a roster that looks older, slower and more fragile than the dynasty days.

But one thing Dunleavy refuses to budge on: Curry's loyalty.

"There's two things I'm confident about with Steph," Dunleavy said. "He really, really wants to win and he wants to finish his career as a Warrior. I don't think that changes tomorrow, August 29th, start of the season, middle of the season, end of next season. Those things are going to be consistent."

Translation: The sky is falling, but Curry's not going anywhere. Whether the Warriors can actually build a contender around him before the clock strikes midnight? That's a much murkier question.