Should the Warriors trade Klay Thompson instead of giving him the max?

The Golden State Warriors could be forced to decide between Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. If they choose the latter, should they trade the former?

Let’s preface this article by saying the only way the Golden State Warriors consider trading Klay Thompson is if Kevin Durant decides to tell the front office he will leave if he doesn’t also get a max.

Klay, who won’t take less than the max, will likely part ways with his sole NBA franchise if he’s not giving a max contract.

For a player of Thompson’s status, it’s not asking too much. However, the amount of star power and lack of money for Golden State make it difficult to toss that type of money at the team’s clear third option.

Thompson, or Killa Klay as he also goes by, is averaging 21.7 points per game, just 0.6 shy of his career-high. Thompson’s strength comes in his off-ball movement and defensive prowess, a difficult combination to find in the NBA.

That combination is the exact reason the Los Angeles Lakers would target the 6-foot-7 shooting guard. It’s almost like having a highly efficient Avery Bradley or Tony Allen. That type of player would absolutely thrive alongside LeBron James.

The Lakers have interest in Klay. However, many other championship-caliber teams would also have interest in Klay and could lure him to re-sign. Teams like Miami or New York could offer the Warriors a nice bundle for the 28-year-old.

It’s not about what the teams could offer. It’s more about how confident are they that they could re-sign him. If they are confident, they’ll put together a better offer.

That said, the Golden State Warriors shouldn’t trade him regardless of what Durant says. The Warriors should hear Durant out. If he wants the max, then they won’t be able to retain both of them, but at the end of the day, they need to retain one and win the 2019 NBA Finals.

If Durant, Green, Thompson or Curry is traded, the likelihood that they reign supreme takes a hit, especially if the Lakers find a way to nab Davis away from New Orleans. So, no, even if they don’t plan to max Klay Thompson, they shouldn’t even consider trading him.

There won’t be a package crazy enough to consider given Thompson’s free agency status at the start of the 2019 offseason. It’s too big of a risk for both the Warriors and the team trading for Klay to take on.