Stephen Curry is locked up for three more seasons with the Warriors. It’s the same with Andrew Wiggins. Draymond Green signed a new contract this summer and will be around for at least three seasons.
Klay Thompson wants to stick around, too. Thompson and the Warriors are discussing a contract extension, and while things are progressing slowly they have all season to figure it out. Thompson wants to remain with Golden State, something he was very clear about when talking to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else,” Thompson said. “To play for one franchise, man? That’s so rare. In any sport. Football. Baseball. Basketball. Australian Rules Football. To play for one club is insane. It’s some real legendary stuff. Even what Udonis Haslem did. He’s revered in Miami. Locally. That’s what I cherish.
“Going around the country, going around the world and people from Northern California or Warriors fans in general are just so prideful about the Warriors. And I was here before banners were hung up. So in a way, it’s our baby. You want to ride it out. I’ve just been so lucky to be a part of this franchise. It’d be so hard to envision myself in another uniform.”
Both sides want to find a deal that keeps Thompson in the Bay Area. The challenge, as always, is money.
Thompson is making $43.2 million this season and averaged 21.9 points per game last season, shooting 41.2% from 3. However, since suffering two devastating injuries (torn ACL, then Achilles) he has not been near the same defender or shot creator he was when the team handed him a max deal in 2019. While the Warriors are banking on a step forward from Thompson this season, he is no longer a $40 million a year player at age 33. What is that number now? Green and Wiggins took less than their max, maybe less than they would have gotten on the open market, to stay where they are. Thompson likely is willing to do the same, but it’s
a balancing act for everyone.
What we know for sure is Thompson doesn’t want to go anywhere else.
