Stephen Curry said playing in Charlotte is ‘on his radar,’ which doesn’t mean much

Stephen Curry didn’t rule out the possibility of playing for the Charlotte Hornets in an interview published Tuesday with the Charlotte Observer. Of course, he also didn’t rule out signing with anyone else, either.

It’s true that Curry is a free agent in 2017 and was raised in Charlotte, where his parents live and he still owns a home. But it’s also easy to pull Curry’s words out of context — or skip providing it, which we will try not to do.

“It’s on my radar,” Curry told the Observer. “But it’s not really on my mind as much day-to-day. I’m just trying to enjoy what this season is going to bring.”

The Golden State Warriors are clearly seen as the league’s best team and the favorites to win the NBA title after adding Kevin Durant over the summer. Curry may be a free agent, but he’s given no indication that he’ll go elsewhere. Right now, there’s no discernible reason why he would.

“Obviously I love it here in the Bay Area,” Curry said. “It’s all I’ve known in the league. And if the situation is right going forward, this is a place I would love to play.”

As a free agent, Curry is smart not to give up any leverage. He’s making just $12 million this season despite back-to-back MVP awards, the best value contract in the league. The Warriors will likely have to sign both him and Kevin Durant (who signed a two-year deal with a player’s option) to full max contracts this summer. And Golden State is able to do that, although it’d love to convince him to sign at a discount since a max contract does make the cap room tricky.

(If you want the cap specifics, this parenthetical is for you. The Warriors have $38.5 million guaranteed next season after Durant declines his team option, which he will. That includes Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who are both under contract until 2019 and 2020, respectively. Durant could sign a max contract that starts at $38 million next year, which puts Golden State at $76 million. Curry will make around $31 million, which should put the Warriors right at or slightly above the cap. Since they have his Bird rights, that’s legal. It will make signing other players for anything but the minimum very difficult and quickly push the Warriors high into the luxury tax, but it is doable.)

Talking to a reporter for a Charlotte paper seven months away from free agency, of course Curry will lean more on his love for the city than outright dismissing it as a possibility.

“Obviously I had a strong tie to Charlotte and would have loved to play there,” he said in the interview. “I’m very comfortable in that city. It’s hard to say exactly what the situation will be this summer.”

That doesn’t mean he’s leaving Golden State, and it definitely doesn’t mean he’s going to the Hornets.