It’s feeling more and more like this may be the final season of this Warriors era with the same core, their last chance at a ring for the thumb.
Part of the reason is Klay Thompson may not be back in the Bay Area next season. Thompson is in the final year of his contract with the Warriors and while the two sides have all season to settle on a new contract, they remain nowhere close. The latest report to echo those sentiments comes from Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Reporting on @RunItBackFDTV: There's a significant gap in extension negotiations for Golden State and Klay Thompson, league sources say, as current signs point to the four-time champion going into 2024 free agency. pic.twitter.com/0U0wSXo0hR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 23, 2023
Thompson has said he wants to retire a Warrior, and Golden State undoubtedly wants him back — as always, the sticking point is money. And years.
Thompson will make $43.2 million this season, the final year of a contract signed before his injuries (a torn ALC and Achilles). From the Warriors’ perspective, Thompson will have to take a pay cut in the new deal for both basketball and financial reasons. Thompson can counter he hit more 3-pointers than anyone in the league last season (301) and averaged 21.9 points per game while shooting 41.2% from 3. While those numbers are impressive, post-injury Thompson, 33, is not the same All-Defensive Team level player he was before, nor the same level of shot creator. He’s not the All-NBA level player he was five years ago.
The Warriors will point to the fact that Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins took pay cuts to stay in Golden State. Then there are the new CBA’s finances — the Warriors want to get under the second apron of the luxury tax next season. That caps how much they are willing to spend on Thompson, and then there are the years — he will want four years, but with Thompson turning 34 this season, the Warriors may be thinking more like three.
Thompson also has to look at the bigger picture: Will a team offer him more as a free agent next summer? At his age and role, his market could be limited (although Philadelphia looms out there).
Thompson’s play this season will factor into the negotiations. If the Warriors are going to be contenders this season Thompson has to take a step forward off where he was last season (his first full season following his injuries). Maybe Thompson can play his way into the larger contract.
Or, maybe this is the last run for Thompson on the Warriors.
