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As the NBA rumor mill churns with less than 10 days to go until free agency officially begins, Klay Thompson’s market has become one of the hottest topics around the league.
Thompson has spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors, winning four championships alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green. They’ve all been anchors that have helped make the Dubs into a dynasty.
But according to the Athletic’s “Warriors Plus-Minus” podcast crew of veteran Warriors reporters Anthony Slater, Tim Kawakami and Marcus Thompson, Klay Thompson is for the first time in his career, as Slater put it, “gettable” for other NBA teams (see: the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers).
“He’s more gettable than any of the foundational guys have ever been,” Kawakami said after Slater, referring to the Warriors’ trio. But does anyone actual want to “get” him?
That’s a question that Yahoo Sports’ “No Cap Room” podcast also asked. Hosts Dan Devine and Jake Fischer discussed the Thompson dynamic, with Fischer expressing doubt about the league’s interest in Thompson.
“At this juncture, I am starting to be skeptical, outside of the Philly backup plan option for him, if there is really much of a market out there for him,” Fischer said. “The Orlando stuff, I’m not so certain about.”
Fischer compared a possible Thompson contract to what the Magic paid Joe Ingles as a free agent last year: two years, $22 million. Devine pointed out that number would be “dramatically lower” than Thompson’s hoped amount, considering he reportedly turned down a two-year, $48 million extension offer from the Warriors last summer. Fischer agreed, saying, “I don’t know if he’s even getting that much from Orlando.”
In the Athletic’s podcast, Slater said the Warriors are “driving a more hard line, realistically hard line” in negotiations with Thompson, which he added haven’t moved for “a long time.” Kawakami agreed, and even hypothesized that the Warriors have a number they won’t cross to keep Thompson — a stark contrast to how they’ve handled free agency decisions in the past.
“I think the Warriors were going to sign Draymond [last year]. I think they were going to sign Klay the last time, they did it when he was hurt,” Kawakami said. “Putting [Andre] Iguodala in, they were scared Iguodala was going to sign for, what, the mid-level with Houston?
“I don’t know that that’s the feeling. I don’t want this aggregated, but I don’t think that’s the feeling, to that extent, with Klay. They want him, they will pay a certain amount, but there is a certain amount. They’re not just going to go, ‘Jesus, OK, here’s another $10 million,’ or, ‘Here’s another year.’”
Slater added, “I think a rival could come in and take him.”
Marcus Thompson remained the most skeptical of a breakup between the Warriors and Klay Thompson.
“They’re both talking tough,” Marcus Thompson said. “And they both might be like, ‘Man…’ and hug it out in the end.”
