Stephen Curry's championship window with the Golden State Warriors under scrutiny

While the Los Angeles Lakers are hogging most of the spotlight in the early days of NBA free agency, another West Coast giant is quietly asking questions.

The Golden State Warriors made perhaps one of the biggest transactions of all ⁠— albeit, not of the free-agent variety ⁠— by signing superstar Stephen Curry to a four-year, $215 million extension.

The contract kicks in following the end of his current deal, tying the two-time MVP to Golden State for the next five years and coming to an end during his age-37 season.

That means Curry, who won his second league scoring title last season, will earn $261 million over the course of the next half-decade. 

Such is the price of locking up a three-time NBA champion in his prime.

Clearly, the Warriors aren't content to rest on the three titles ⁠— the 2014-15 championship and repeating in 2016-17 and 2017-18 ⁠— they've won during the Curry era. They want more, and they have their main force locked down to help accomplish that goal.

A pair of other Warriors with championship pedigrees, guard Klay Thompson and forward Draymond Green, are also signed through at least the 2023-24 season.

They join 26-year-old guard Andrew Wiggins and second-year No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman at center to round out Golden State's presumed starting five for next season. 

Meanwhile, a pair of rookies in forward Jonathan Kuminga (seventh overall) and guard Moses Moody (14th overall) were selected in the draft a week ago.

There were suggestions that the Warriors should package a combination of those picks and a player, perhaps Wiseman, to add another star to the mix.

That didn't come to fruition — or at least, not yet. 

In the meantime, looking at the present-day Warriors, are they built to contend? 

The "First Things First" crew of Nick Wright, Brandon Marshall and Kevin Wildes delved into the subject Wednesday.

Wright cautioned that the Warriors are "trying to have their cake and eat it, too" by drafting young players who aren't expected to contribute immediately.

"They're trying to get young players and look for the future while also having a very old core," Wright said. "When the playoffs start next year, Steph will be 34, Klay will be 32, Draymond will be 32. Meanwhile, in this year's draft, they drafted an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old to go along with the kid, [20-year-old] Wiseman. … I don't think they'll contend in what's left of Steph's prime."

Wildes tapped into another sports personality, Colin Cowherd of "The Herd," to offer an analogy for offseason approaches, saying that he sees shared characteristics between franchises and the cities in which they are located.

To Wildes, the likes of LeBron James and the Lakers are focused on the here and now, pulling out the stops to try to contend for another title immediately. But similar to what Wright said, Wildes is concerned that the Warriors, much like the tech hub of Silicon Valley, are looking too far ahead.

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Marshall said he could see the Warriors getting back into the championship mix if they're willing to make a push. The good news, he said, is that he doesn't see why the Warriors would stand pat after giving Curry such a hefty payday. 

"I want to be in on this because if you make this type of move, where you're saying we're going to commit to Steph Curry in a major way for the next four, five years, then why wouldn't you go out there and try and figure out a way? Marshall asked. "Everybody else is doing it, right?"

It would seem that the Warriors, as presently constructed, aren't striking much fear into the hearts of the pundits.

Then again, with a player such as Curry ⁠— who averaged a career-high 32.0 points a season ago ⁠— it might be foolish to place limits on how far the Warriors can go, whether they make a move or not.

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