With NBA free agency quickly approaching and now less than two weeks away, the updates on Golden State Warriors veteran Klay Thompson appear to be coming thick and fast.
Monday brought a host of news regarding the 34-year-old, having come after a weekend in which Thompson sent social media into a whirl-spin after he unfollowed the Warriors on Instagram and deleted much of his team-related content.
Klay Thompson is reportedly seeking at least a three-year contract, pushing him past the Golden State Warriors current timeline
The chances of Thompson departing Golden State only seem to be growing, with The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting that the five-time All-Star “is open to all external options in free agency coming up.”
Charania and colleague Anthony Slater also reiterated the mutual interest between Thompson and the Orlando Magic — a move that’s been floated as far back as February. In the midst of all the potential chaos ahead, the veteran sharpshooter will join Team Bahamas in Houston for their Olympic training camp.
Yet perhaps the most intriguing of the new information came from NBC Sports’ Monte Poole who, in an interview with former Warrior guard Leandro Barbosa about Thompson’s free agency, added that the four-time champion is “seeking an offer of at least three years.”
That in itself is just as fascinating as the dollar per annum figure Thompson may be after, with a three-year extension pushing him past the current timeline that Golden State have seemingly set themselves.
Stephen Curry is under contract for a further two seasons. Draymond Green has a player option for a third year that could certainly be tied to what happens with the two-time MVP. When the Warriors re-signed head coach Steve Kerr mid-season, they gave him a two-year, $35 million extension that aligned with Curry and Green.
The assumption was that Thompson would follow a similar path were he to remain, at least that’s what Golden State seemingly wanted when they offered him a two-year, $48 million extension at the start of the season.
This latest information may throw a further spanner in the works — not one that’s impossible to overcome, but just an extra element to the whole process. Do the Warriors want to be paying Thompson in excess of $20 million in his age 37 season? They may not have much of a choice if he’s truly exploring all available options as has been reported.
