For Warriors star Klay Thompson, the problem of returning to Golden State as he enters NBA free agency this summer is unlikely to be about money. The Warriors will most likely be able to negotiate a new contract that is acceptable to both the franchise and Thompson in terms of annual value.
The length of the deal appears to be the issue. The Warriors are planning to offer Thompson a two-year contract that is comparable to—if not slightly less than—what the organization offered him last November, when Thompson turned down a deal worth $48 million over two years.
“We’ve heard it was a two-year offer,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon stated Thursday on the podcast “The Hoops Collective.” ‘I believe that’s a given. In some circumstances, it’s more about the years than the money.”
Thompson is rumored to desire at least three years and may be able to acquire it elsewhere—perhaps in Orlando. Philadelphia?—as free agency picks up. However, Thompson’s return to Golden State may depend on the team’s desire to be flexible and find an acceptable compromise for a third season.
Warriors’ offer is limited by age, CBA.
As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed out on the show, when the Warriors granted new contracts to Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green, the upfront payments were lowered, but the contracts were four years long.
However, there are some major differences. Wiggins is five years younger than Thompson (34), making it impossible to compare the situations. Green is also 34 years old, but he signed his contract a year before Thompson and does not have Thompson’s extensive injury history, which includes a damaged ACL and Achilles tendon.
The Warriors also believe that Green’s skill set will age better than Thompson’s will.
Another significant difference that may keep the Warriors’ offer at two years is the new, more punishing CBA. The Warriors cannot afford to overpay Thompson in the same manner that a team like Orlando can.
“They do not want to be locked into a situation where they are sitting on a bad Klay Thompson contract, even for a year,” one NBA executive told Heavy Sports. “There was a time when you could have a poor contract on the books to compensate a person who had benefited the team for so long. But not under the new CBA.
“They are going to try very hard to get under the tax and they can’t have a bad deal sitting there putting them back over in a couple years.”
Klay Thompson, an All-Time Great
Thompson has an impressive resume, of course. He has made 2,481 3-pointers in his career, ranking sixth all-time, and has shot 41.3% from the arc. In 2022-23, he made 301 three-pointers, becoming one of only three players in league history to do so.
Unfortunately, his final recollection of the generally poor 2023-24 season will be a sour one. He had zero points on 0-for-10 shooting, a minus-12 box score, and missed all six 3-pointers. The Warriors were defeated 118-94 by the Kings in the Western Conference’s second play-in game, therefore ending their season.
Thompson finished the 2023-24 season averaging 17.9 points per game on 43.2% shooting and 38.7% 3-point shooting. Thompson’s season was highly uneven, but he appeared to be on track to finish strong. Following a bench spell, he returned to the starting lineup for the final ten games, averaging 21.8 points on 49.1% shooting and 41.6% on three-pointers.
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