After missing the playoffs this past spring, the Golden State Warriors will be entering the offseason looking for different ways to get themselves back to a place of contention.
The team has wanted to maximize the final years with 36-year-old All-Star point guard Steph Curry on the roster, but since it won the NBA title in 2022, Golden State hasn’t made it past the second round of the playoffs.
This offseason, the Warriors have some big questions to answer. None may be bigger than what they will do with aging swingman Klay Thompson. Thompson is scheduled to be a free agent this summer and so far, there hasn’t been much traction on the two sides coming to an agreement.
Golden State wants to bring the second Splash Brother back to town, but at their price and role. Thompson, on the other hand, believes he is worthy of a larger deal and that could see him walk out of the only team he has ever known.
The two sides have been far apart in any negotiations since the season ended for Golden State, further pushing the narrative that the five-time All-Star and four-time champion could leave the Warriors. We have now gotten more information on the contract talks and they aren’t a good sign for anyone hoping that Thompson will ultimately return.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the talks between Thompson and the Warriors are essentially frozen. The likelihood of him returning to the Warriors seems to be decreasing as time goes on.
“Talks are essentially frozen. With free agency now less than 10 days away, Thompson’s exit from the only franchise he has ever known feels closer and more probable than ever before,” Slater notes.
If Thompson does leave, there will be multiple suitors for his services. While he isn’t the same player that he once was, he still was very productive this past season. Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.23 assists per game over 77 games. He also shot 38.7 percent from beyond the three-point line.
While the two sides will keep negotiating, according to Slater, even if the Warriors were to offer a competitive deal to Thompson, he could still walk away out of pure disrespect.
“Even if the Warriors eventually approach Thompson with a competitive offer, matching or exceeding the money and years, it has become increasingly conceivable, according to league sources, that Thompson will decide to leave regardless, searching for a fresh start in a different environment, detached from some of the built-up friction of the previous couple seasons,” Slater writes.
Thompson helped bring the Warriors four titles over the last 10 years so he likely feels a certain way about how they have treated him. It’s looking more likely that he will leave Golden State for the final few years of his career.
It would feel strange to see him in a different jersey but it’s happening plenty of other times before around the NBA. With free agency technically opening next weekend, we should see a resolution to this fairly quickly.
Uncommon Knowledge
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