One of the Golden State Warriors’ championship-winning core trio, Klay Thompson, has entered the final year of his five-year, $190 million contract, and NBA writer Mark Medina has provided some insight into his future with the franchise.
NBA news – Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have made their plans for the future clear in re-signing Draymond Green and trading away younger roster talent in exchange for veteran experience.
Amid speculation Green would seek a new home in the NBA, he opted out of his player option and re-signed with the Warriors on a four-year, $100 million contract, per Spotrac.
The dominoes then started to fall as Jordan Poole, who was involved in a bust-up during training with the aforementioned Green last year, was traded away to the Washington Wizards as part of a package in exchange for 12x All-Star, Chris Paul.
In a media interview with Madeline Kenny of the Bay Area New Group, Warriors owner Joe Lacob expressed that he’d like to keep Thompson, as well as Draymond Green and the other half of the ‘Splash Brothers’ duo in Stephen Curry, as Warriors for the remainders of their careers.
Klay Thompson is set to enter the final year of his five-year, $190 million contract, and reports from The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater suggest that if he does extend his contract with the San Francisco team, then there is an “expectation” that he will have to take a pay cut due to the Warriors’ financial limitations.
How does Mark Medina expect the Warriors to handle the contract negotiations with Klay Thompson?
With Klay Thompson’s contract expiring at the end of next season, Medina expects the Warriors to adopt a similar approach to negotiations regarding Klay Thompson’s contract like with Draymond Green’s.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “I expect the Warriors to handle talks with Thompson the same way they did with Draymond Green last season. They will let the season play out and see how Thompson performs. They then will sign him to another deal.”
“The dollar figure remains to be seen given the Warriors’ hope to trim costs and Thompson’s inconsistency. But both parties will ensure that Thompson plays with the Warriors for the remainder of his NBA career”.
Klay Thompson’s illustrious career
Klay Thompson has cemented himself as one of the NBA’s greatest shooters, particularly in catch-and-shoot situations, spending all 10 years of his career so far with the Warriors.
Across his career, the 5x All-Star averages 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting 45.5% from the field, and 41.6% from behind the line, per StatMuse.
Despite missing the entire 2019-20 and 2020–21 seasons after a torn ACL and then Achilles tendon injury, he returned in January 2022 and helped the Warriors win their fourth NBA championship under Steve Kerr, and their fifth overall in franchise history. He averaged 19.0 points, 2.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds on 42.9% from the field and 38.5% from three in their 2022 championship-winning playoff run.
With the 33-year-old’s championship window winding down, and with both Steph Curry and Draymond Green locked into extensions with the team, the expectation is that Thompson will do the same, with the hope they can win at least one more NBA title together.