Is Steph Curry worth $201 million?

Stephen Curry. Digital image. Sporting News. N.p., 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 4 July 2017

In the first 10 minutes of free agency, on the morning of July 1st, Steph Curry agreed to a super max deal with the reigning NBA Champions, Golden State Warriors. His contract was worth $201 million over a 5 year period. He is projected to earn $40.2 million per year, but is this deal a mistake? Yes, this deal is a major mistake by the Warriors' front office for 2 major reasons. Firstly, Stephen Curry, with this new contract, is overpaid because Curry is not worth $201 million anymore because his years of stardom are coming to an end and he does not have enough fuel in his tank to play like the two-time MVP he was in 2015 and 2016. There are superior and more talented guards in the league that are emerging to be better than Steph Curry. For example, superstar point/shooting guard for the Houston Rockets, James Harden, and former MVP Russell Westbrook. James Harden signed a 4 year/ $118 million dollar contract last year. His contract is worth less than Curry's, earning just $29.5 million/ yr (compared to Curry's $40.2 million) for a player that was second in MVP voting. Curry was not even considered in the top-10 for Most Valuable Player this year. Additionally, Russell Westbrook's contract. Last year, he landed an measly 3 year/ $85.5 million for a MVP season where he carried the team to the first round of the playoffs. He just earned only $28.5 million last year (compared to Steph's projected $40.2/yr). These 2 examples show that Steph Curry is overpaid for a player who probably will not be as explosive as before. Secondly, with this major contract, the Warriors have skyrocketed above their salary cap, forcing them to pay an enormous amount of money for the luxury tax. This is important as with this, the Warriors must pay unnecessary money, and must restrict themselves from splashing in next year's free agency. If the Warriors paid Curry less, the Warriors would not be above the salary cap, and could have added more players to their already- powerful roster, making them even more dangerous, if they could. Although many pundits say that this contract makes Curry underpaid, I think otherwise.