Will the Golden State Warriors Re-Sign Klay Thompson?
By Andrew Ites
Golden State Warriors superstar Klay Thompson is entering the final year of his contract. Will he remain a Warrior past this season?
In a salary cap league, it’s difficult to keep a roster full of four All-Stars together, let alone five like the Golden State Warriors will have this year.
A couple of those All-Stars’ contracts will expire after this season, including Klay Thompson.
Klay is entering the final season of his four-year, $69 million contract and is set to be a free agent in 2019 if the two sides are unable to agree on a contract extension before next offseason.
Thompson has played his entire career in Golden State after being selected 11th overall in the 2011 Draft.
He’s developed into a four-time All-Star who’s made two All-NBA teams and won three championships with the Warriors. That sort of résumé should earn him a max contract offer from a multitude of teams if he hits the open market as a free agent.
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There have been conflicting reports on what his future holds in Golden State.
The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson has reported that the Warriors and Klay were engaged in contract extension talks a couple of months ago and that Thompson was willing to take a pay cut in his next deal.
However, Klay’s father Mychal has been quoted saying his son will wait until 2019 to sign a new contract. Mychal Thompson did say that Klay wants to spend his entire career in Golden State, but it would be smarter for his son to wait until 2019 to sign with the Warriors.
Klay is eligible for a five-year, $102 million contract extension this offseason, but he could sign a five-year, $188 million deal if he plays out the final year of his contract and signs in 2019.
Golden State will have a larger revenue stream after they open their new arena, but the luxury tax will be absolutely enormous if they sign Thompson to a five-year max and keep this team together.
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Warriors fans should keep a close eye on these contract negotiations all season long. However, I can’t picture Klay walking away from a dynasty next offseason, even if he doesn’t get the $188 million that he is definitely worth.
Here’s our analysis of the other Warriors contract situations: