The Golden State Warriors are keen to put pen-to-paper and have Klay Thompson ink a new contract with the team for the long-term in what is likely to be his last big NBA contract extension. With the guard heading for free agency next season, NBA insider Mark Medina believes the front-office and player will come to terms on a ‘hefty’ contract extension that will tie him down to the Warriors for what might turn out to be the rest of his professional basketball career.
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After rewarding Draymond Green with a four-year, $100 million contract extension that ties him to the franchise through 2026-27 when he will be 38-years-old, the Warriors are reportedly looking to also extend three-point specialist Klay Thompson to keep their championship core intact, along with Stephen Curry, for the remainder of their careers.
The 33-year-old is entering the last year of his five-year, $189 million contract, during which he missed back-to-back seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21 after sustaining a torn ACL in game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, and then rupturing his right Achilles tendon right before the start of the 2020-21 season. Despite knowing of his torn ACL at the time he was due for an extension, the Warriors did not hesitate to offer him such a lucrative deal, showing their belief that the five-time NBA All-Star would recover well and return to action still at an elite-level despite such serious injuries. While he never returned to his pre-injury self, he has shown he is still capable of being an integral piece on a championship-caliber roster.
According to NBA insider Ramona Shelburne speaking on an episode of The Lowe Post podcast, the Warriors have now opened contract extension talks with Klay Thompson. Her report further noted that although they’ve exchanged proposals, there is no rush to get a deal done right away, which could bode well for Thompson because if the four-time champion has a solid output next season, he could see a larger proposal put on the table. For now, though, talks will continue with the NBA regular season set to begin just mere weeks away.
Klay Thompson contract extension
Medina doesn’t believe that Klay will be offered close to what his last NBA contract was, but that at the same time, the Warriors will not low-ball him as they have valued his immense contributions to the team over the years. He goes on to allude to the two parties engaging in ‘respectful’ conversations, amid the financial complexities the Warriors have, especially with the new CBA rules.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said…
“I don’t think that Klay is going to get the kind of contract that he got last time when he was a free agent back in 2019. Shortly after, he tore his ACL and the Warriors still did not hesitate with giving him a max deal because of what he has meant to the organisation, as well as their optimism with him recovering from an injury. Look, he’s not taking veterans minimum steals, they are not going to lowball him. They’re still going to reward him with a hefty contract, but I think that they’re going to just try to have productive and respectful talks to just figure out what the exact sweet spot is, because of the financial complexities with some of the new CBA rules, and the fact that they want to just see how Klay can bounce back from last season.”
Thompson’s statistics since returning from injury
One half of the Splash Brothers duo, Thompson, marked his return to NBA action in January 2022, after two-and-a-half seasons away.
In just his first game back he played 20 minutes and scored 17 points, per Ben Stinar of Fastbreak, and he continued to find his form again throughout the rest of the regular season, averaging 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his 32 games.
His return proved pivotal for the Warriors as he was a key contributor averaging 19.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and converting 38.5 percent of his shots from deep, which led to them hoisting the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy for the fourth-time in the Steve Kerr era in 2022, and their fifth overall in franchise history. Since then, he has continued to get stronger, and is hopeful of another leap in his recovery, two years removed from two very serious injuries.
With contract extension talks reportedly now well underway, it seems all but certain that deep marksman Klay Thompson will stay with the Warriors for the remainder of his career; the only question that remains is at what cost?