According to a new book from Warriors reporter Marcus Thompson, Warriors owner Joe Lacob considered offering Steph Curry, All-Star player, a contract below the max.
Deadspin writes that Lacob trying to lowball Curry “is hard to fathom” for a multitude of reasons. One is that “if Steph Curry doesn’t deserve a max contract, then nobody in the NBA does.” The second is that Curry had been “one of the most underpaid players in all sports” during the seasons leading up to and during the Warriors’ championship run.
An excerpt from Thompson’s book reads: “Warriors general manager Bob Myers kept Lacob from bringing a reduced offer to the negotiating table, but it was enough of a thing that Myers reassured Curry of the franchise’s commitment.”
According to Deadspin, this isn’t the first instance Lacob hasn’t respected his players. He once told The New York Times Magazine that the Warriors’ 73-win season owed as much to his venture capitalist approach to basketball as it did to Curry’s ascendance, writes Deadspin. He later apologized to Curry for that one. He also tried to take credit for the “bold and innovative” strategy of signing Kevin Durant, Deadspin reports.
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