The Golden State Warriors will face a lofty challenge to re-sign Klay Thompson in free agency, with a number of teams desperately in need of the elite three-point shooting and championship experience that the 34-year-old provides.
The Athletic's Anthony Slater told 95.7 The Game's the Morning Roast on Wednesday that "locking down his (Thompson's) future is not necessarily priority one for the Warriors", leaving the franchise open to losing one of their greatest ever players.
Klay Thompson may choose to depart the Golden State Warriors, but a move to the Detroit Pistons would be considered truly shocking
A number of rival teams makes sense for Thompson, led by the Orlando Magic who have long been linked to the five time All-Star given their need for shooting, their cap space available this offseason, and a bright future that would interest most free agents.
The Philadelphia 76ers have also been mooted as a destination for Thompson given their cap space and win-now aspirations, while a number of other championship contenders could be interested in sign-and-trade possibilities.
One team that does have cap space but otherwise would make little sense is the Detroit Pistons, and yet they've been floated as a potential team for Thompson by Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley in a recent article looking at '5 Surprising Moves We Could See in 2024 NBA Free Agency'.
"So, maybe the Pistons will show Thompson the most attention—and, more importantly, the most money—in free agency. They need shooting in the worst kind of way, could use more scoring help to take heat off of Cade Cunningham and might see Thompson's pedigree and championship experience as key ingredients to help fuel an overdue culture change."Zach Buckley
There's a reason why this would be considered a surprise -- in fact labelling it as such would be an understatement. You can certainly understand why the Pistons would have some interest, but while they might be able to offer a significant contract, you'd expect that Thompson's legacy would outweigh that.
He's a winner. That's something he's always prided himself on, even it came to the detriment of individual accolades. Would he really want to join a team that has a combined 94-290 win-loss record over the last five seasons?
Frankly, if Thompson and/or his management went to the Warriors threatening to leave for the Pistons, the franchise should call his bluff and see if he truly wants to join a team expected to be in the NBA abyss for a while longer.