Warriors could hold fire on Klay Thompson contract talks
After securing Draymond Green’s long-term future with the franchise, the Golden State Warriors will now turn their attention toward Klay Thompson. The veteran sharpshooter is entering the final year of his current five-year $189.9 million deal and will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024.
However, according to Mark Medina, who was speaking with Give Me Sport’s Kerrie Jacobs-Bryant, the Warriors will likely wait until the end of the 2023-24 season before discussing a new contract for Thompson. Medina also noted that if the Warriors choose to wait until after the upcoming season, they would follow a similar plan to the one they used with Green.
“I expect the Warriors to handle talks with Thompson the same way they did with Draymond Green last season,” Madina said. “They will let the season play out and see how Thompson performs. They then will sign him to another deal.”
Thompson has bounced back from two serious injuries and is once again performing at an elite level for the Warriors. If the former lottery pick can sustain the level of production he displayed last season, Golden State will almost certainly ensure he gets one final payday. Thompson will be 34 years old when he hits unrestricted free agency, yet we shouldn’t expect that to stop the Warriors from looking to secure his future.
Joe Lacob recently discussed his desire to keep the Warriors’ championship-winning core intact for the remainder of their careers during an interview with Madeline Kenny of The Mercury News.
“We’d like Steph, Draymond and Klay to retire as Warriors,” Lacob said. “That is my goal, our goal, and I think it’s a good likelihood that’ll happen.”
It would appear Thompson’s future with the Warriors is secure, yet if the franchise does decide to wait until next summer, we will likely see rampant speculation as to whether Thompson could be suiting up for a new team in 2024.
