The Golden State Warriors drafted Klay Thompson 13 years ago with the No. 11 pick. They almost traded him for Kevin Love 10 years ago, right before he became a perennial All-Star, a gold medalist and an NBA champion. Thompson and the Warriors won three titles in four years after one of the best non-trades in NBA history, then he tore his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, tore his Achilles during a pickup game and, after missing two full seasons, returned to win another title in 2022. He is one of the most beloved players Golden State will ever have, a crucial part of a dynasty and half of the Splash Brothers.
And his run with the Warriors is (likely, reportedly) over.
Golden State, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, is expected to part ways with Thompson in the coming days. While free agency has yet to officially begin, the Warriors have been able to negotiate with the 34-year-old wing since this year’s NBA Finals ended. In the nearly two weeks that have passed, Thompson and Golden State have had “close to no communication,” per The Athletic.
The Warriors have reportedly not made Thompson an offer, even though coach Steve Kerr told Jim Rome four days ago, “Klay has been such an integral part of everything around here — obviously, multi-time champion, but even more than that just someone who has such a great connection with the Bay Area, which the franchise, with his teammates — and so we want Klay back desperately, I want him back desperately.”
This is because, from the front office’s perspective, it can’t responsibly make Thompson an offer … yet. Golden State wants to upgrade the roster and compete for another championship, and it has reportedly been trying to trade Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul’s non-guaranteed contract. So far, it has not been able to make these moves, but it knows that its total team salary cannot exceed $189.7 million (i.e. the “second apron” in the new CBA).
According to The Athletic and Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Kerr is telling the truth: The Warriors want to retain Thompson. They just have other stuff to figure out first. Without knowing what their post-trade cap sheet looks like, they don’t know how much space they will have under the hard cap, which is to say they don’t know how much money they will be allowed to offer the future Hall of Famer.
Thompson is not expected to wait for Golden State to do its other business. His side feels “that the Warriors’ interest in a reunion has been disingenuous,” so he is “determined to find a new home elsewhere,” according to The Athletic. The front office has reportedly made it clear to Thompson that any new contract would have to be “at the right price” and “in the right role.”
On Friday, The Athletic reported that the Philadelphia 76ers have interest in Thompson, as do the Denver Nuggets, if they lose free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Stein Line reported Friday that there is “strong mutual interest” between Thompson and the Mavericks, who are “likely to emerge as the favorite” to sign him. The Athletic’s latest report indicates that the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers also expected to be suitors. Thompson is from Los Angeles, and LeBron James is willing to consider re-signing with the Lakers for less than the max in order to facilitate signing an impact player, according to his agent.
If a team like the Lakers (i.e. one without significant cap space) pursues Thompson, the most it can offer is a deal that starts at the non-taxpayer midlevel exception ($12.9 million), if that. The irony is that, according to The Athletic, Golden State is now anticipating having that exception at its disposal, provided that Thompson leaves and it waives Paul rather than trading him.
In theory, there is still time for Golden State and Thompson to reconcile and reach an agreement on a new deal that would allow him to end his career where it started. All signs, however, point to a breakup. As Kerr told Rome, “This is the way it works in the NBA and any professional sport: There’s just going to be difficult moments, uncomfortable moments where money is involved, contracts, respect, however you want to put it.” It is unfortunate, though, that this particular player and this particular franchise have not proven to be an exception to the rule.
According to The Athletic, both Thompson and the Warriors are operating as if this is the end. Golden State is reportedly willing to work with him on a sign-and-trade.
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