Warriors Owner Joe Lacob Dismisses Circulating Steph Curry Rumor As ‘clickbait'

Warriors owner Joe Lacob dismisses circulating Steph Curry rumor as ‘clickbait' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Joe Lacob has heard the speculation about Steph Curry’s future with the Warriors. The Warriors owner is not buying any of it.

Appearing on “The TK Show” with Tim Kawakami, Lacob was asked directly whether Curry will sign a contract extension once he becomes eligible on Aug. 29 — and more pointedly, whether the Warriors owner could ever imagine a scenario where Curry wanted out.

“It’s not the date yet — we’re not really at that point, but we’re getting close,” Lacob told Kawakami. “We’ll have that conversation. We’ll see what we do. But my guess is Steph — I wouldn’t worry about this too much. Steph loves it here, we love him here. I don’t want Steph to go anywhere. I really can’t imagine a scenario where he’s going anywhere.”

Pressed further on whether he could envision Curry ever raising the idea of leaving, Lacob’s answer sharpened considerably.

“No, no, no. I don’t think that is even a thing,” Lacob said. “This is just a clickbait thing from all these people that do this kind of thing these days, and there seem to be a lot of them. I don’t believe any of that is true. I’m very close with Steph — he lives right near me, he’s incredibly happy with the organization, with his life… I’ve never heard a word about that, and I can’t imagine it. We certainly don’t want him to go anywhere. I just think people are completely making a bunch of crap up.”

The speculation Lacob is dismissing traces back largely to the Warriors’ failed pursuit of LeBron James this summer, which prompted some to wonder whether a disappointing offseason might push Curry to reconsider his future. But unlike the broader criticism of the team’s roster construction, the reporting on Curry’s situation specifically has been remarkably consistent — ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania have both described “mutual interest” in an extension, and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. echoed the same sentiment earlier this week.

“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.”

There is a more legitimate strategic debate happening around Curry’s extension — ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has argued the 38-year-old superstar could benefit from delaying an extension to preserve cap flexibility for a future roster overhaul. But that conversation is about team-building strategy, not about Curry wanting to leave — a distinction Lacob’s frustration suggests has gotten lost in the noise.

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