It would be difficult to see Klay Thompson wear another NBA jersey other than that of the Golden State Warriors, whereby he is set to become a free-agent next summer. However, NBA writer Mark Medina expects that the Warriors will look to present a lucrative contract offer that keeps Thompson in San Francisco for the remainder of his NBA career, with both parties being content with the final number on the deal.
NBA news – Golden State Warriors
One of the most successful NBA franchises in recent history have made it clear that they are prioritizing keep their veteran core together for as long as their championship window remains open.
To show their intent, they ensured they re-signed Draymond Green after he became a free-agent for the first time in his career, to a four-year, $100 million contract, fending off interest from a wide array of teams around the league including the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sports Center, (h/t Sports Illustrated).
The greatest three-point shooter of all time, Stephen Curry, is already tied down to the Dubs long-term with his four-year, $215 million extension keeping him with the franchise through the 2025-26 season, per Spotrac. This leaves just one core member left, the other half of the Splash Brothers duo, Klay Thompson, who is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2024.
It has been made no secret that the Warriors want to re-sign the 33-year-old long-term, and that the feeling is mutual, but with the new CBA rules, the Warriors first have had to deal with remodeling their financials in order to do so, with the Jordan Poole-Chris Paul trade swap appearing to be an indication of their financial commitment to keeping Klay Thompson, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. Now it would appear that it’s about striking the right balance in terms of finding the number that rewards Thompson for his services, but keeps the Warriors salary cap suppressed enough to fall below the second apron that they are aiming to achieve.
Will Klay Thompson remain with the Dubs?
Medina cannot see any situation whereby Klay Thompson departs from the San Francisco team and goes elsewhere in the NBA, and that when it comes to the number crunching, his inevitable extension will likely fall in the region of what Draymond Green received this past season.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said…
“Look, they entered last season without agreeing to an extension with Draymond Green, and they still rewarded him the following season with a four-year, $100 million contract. So I think that is the template to really look at. Maybe they don’t agree to an extension before the season starts, but they wind up working something out next season. I don’t think I can’t see any scenario whatsoever where things get so bad from a negotiating standpoint, or even if Klay has some struggles this season, that Klay Thompson is not in a Warrior’s uniform. He will be retained next summer, he’ll be with the Warriors his whole career, it’s just going to be a matter of exactly what that dollar figure looks like. I think philosophically, there will be enough healthy discussions where Klay will still feel like he has been rewarded handsomely for his value and contributions to the franchise, and the Warriors will still feel good about that dollar number, and how it relates to the new CBA.”
Curry, Thompson, Green – Warriors statistics
The Warriors core of Curry, Thompson and Green have been one of the most successful trios in NBA history, winning four championships together under their head-coach, Steve Kerr in eight seasons. Together, in total, they have spent 11 seasons together so far, a loyalty so rare in this ever-evolving league landscape where players move teams often.
Perhaps their most notable season was in 2015-16, where they made history by breaking the longstanding 1995-96 Chicago Bulls record for most wins in a season, finishing with a regular season record of 73-9. However, that season will always have their NBA Finals defeat etched in its memory where despite being up 3-1 in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they lost three straight to LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and co.
Once their careers are all said and done, though, they may be regarded as the best trio in NBA history, at the very least the group who have won the most games together, and they have the statistics on their side. According to ESPN Stats and Information Research, the three stars now sit behind only San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper in post-season wins with 98 in total. They need only 12 more playoff victories to sit on top of this illustrious list filled with hall-of-famers.
Make it known that Klay Thompson will remain a Warrior, and will likely be for the rest of his career. When exactly the two parties come to an agreement on a long-term deal and what the final number on the contract will be, though, is the only thing that is left to sort out.