Don’t expect Klay Thompson to stay out of the headlines.
He unfollowed the Warriors and removed team-related posts — to Draymond Green’s apparent amusement.
The Athletic reported Monday that Thompson is joining Team Bahamas for training, though he likely won’t be eligible to compete in Olympic play.
As soon as the NBA Finals end, Thompson will be eligible to sign an extension with the Warriors. On June 30, he’ll officially be a free agent whom teams can court.
Thompson likely won’t be the first domino to fall in the Warriors’ offseason, but he is the most important. Gary Payton II’s player option deadline is Wednesday. The draft is a week later. The team will also need to make decisions on Kevon Looney and Chris Paul.
None are like Thompson.
Thompson’s legacy with the Warriors is unimpeachable. His jersey will be in the rafters, and a statue of him will be erected outside Chase Center one day. The Warriors have publicly expressed interest in keeping him together with Steph Curry and Draymond Green until they retire, but that possibility is in question.
Thompson reportedly turned down a two-year, $48 million extension before last season. Warriors owner Joe Lacob has said the team plans to try to get under the luxury tax, and signing Thompson could complicate that. Steve Kerr has indicated the best role for Thompson going forward will be off the bench, which he did for stretches of the 2023-24 campaign.
The future Hall of Famer averaged 17.9 points per game on 38.7% from 3. He’s still a valuable player as a floor-spacer, but his on-ball defense has fallen off — understandably so for a 34-year-old who has recovered from a torn Achilles and a torn ACL.
Even though Thompson’s season ended unceremoniously with an 0-for-10 clunker in the play-in game, his market is going to heat up. ESPN insider Bobby Marks projected a two-year, $70 million contract for Thompson in free agency.
$70 million feels high, but Thompson will have suitors, and not just Golden State.
Orlando Magic
A team with a clear need for outside shooting and the cap space to outbid the Warriors, Orlando has always been a destination that pairs nicely with Thompson on paper. The Magic also have a starting lineup spot to offer Thompson, which could make a big difference.
Thompson would slot in nicely next to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs. The Magic (second in defensive rating) have the athletes and size to cover up Thompson’s defensive limitations. They also have a projected $49 million in cap space, and a need to spend it before Banchero’s inevitable extension kicks in.
Like many possible suitors, Orlando may shoot higher than Thompson at first. But there’s certainly reason to expect mutual interest.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers share many of the same traits as Orlando: a ton of cap space ($55 million), a need for spacing, and an objective to improve in the Eastern Conference.
Like the Magic, the 76ers have the space and roster to offer Thompson a serious contract and a starting spot. Providing spacing around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will be crucial for Philadelphia. Thompson would fit the bill.
But so would Paul George. And LeBron James. And even James Harden, who soured on Daryl Morey and the Sixers during his short stint there. Each would probably be higher on Philadelphia’s wish list than Thompson.
If the Sixers strike out on the best names available, Thompson wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize.
At this point of his career, Thompson isn’t worth more than $24 million per year. But that’s not how this works. He’s worth whatever a team is willing to pay him. And the Sixers will have the ability to pay him more than any other contending team.
Oklahoma City Thunder
After the Gordon Hayward deadline deal flopped, Oklahoma City might be done pursuing aging veterans with injury histories. But Thompson is a significantly better player than Hayward — both in his overall career and in recent seasons.
Giving Josh Giddey’s minutes to Thompson would allow the Thunder to achieve the five-out offense they’re striving for. There wouldn’t be an obvious non-shooter on the floor for defenses to sag off and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s elite playmaking skills would create an abundance of open shots off the catch for Thompson. The Thunder are closer to a title than the Warriors and adding Thompson to the mix would make them even better.
And a short-term, big-money deal – which Thompson will probably attract – could fit well in the Thunder’s books. They have a projected $35 million in cap space and two years before Jalen Williams’ likely extension kicks in.
The Thunder could reasonably offer Thompson something like a three-year, $80 million contract that’s partially guaranteed in the third season.
But that kind of deal seems out of character for the Thunder, who have been stockpiling draft assets for years. They’re poised to cash in picks for a superstar via trade rather than sign a veteran like Thompson in free agency.
Los Angeles Lakers
When the Lakers won the NBA title in 2020, they did so by surrounding LeBron James and Anthony Davis with 3-point shooters. For whatever reason, they strayed from that roster construction in the succeeding years, but signing Thompson could push them back in that direction.
The Lakers would allow Thompson to stay on the West Coast and play in front of his dad, the team’s radio color commentator. Linking up with James — who has a player option — and Davis could present Thompson a better chance at winning another championship than staying with the Warriors.
But the Lakers would need to do some serious maneuvering to even be able to offer Thompson a midlevel deal, or less. Money would be an issue, so the Lakers may only make sense for Thompson if his relationship with the Warriors’ front office and ownership seriously fractures, and the other landing spots dissipate.
Golden State Warriors
Finishing his career with the Warriors would mean more than just sentimental value.
The Warriors still need shooting, especially if they’re going to hold onto Jonathan Kuminga and continue playing Trayce Jackson-Davis and Draymond Green together. Without perimeter shooting threats beyond Steph Curry, defenses can completely load up on the two-time MVP.
Selling Thompson on a sixth-man role won’t be easy when starting jobs will be available to him elsewhere. Getting under the luxury tax and keeping Thompson would probably require the guard to take a hometown discount, too. Slicing payroll and improving the roster is oxymoronic.
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There’s intangible value in staying with one franchise for an entire career. Thompson is an icon in the Bay Area like he won’t ever be anywhere else. He’s comfortable living here and obviously knows the system.
Even if they want to dip under the luxury tax, the Warriors definitely won’t want to lose Thompson for nothing.
Thompson and his representatives were prudent to decline Golden State’s initial, reported two-year, $48 million extension offer. Testing the free-agent waters will almost certainly drive his price up from that starting point. How much the Warriors are willing to budge from those figures, though, could determine how the end of his legendary career plays out.
