Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob urged their anxious fans not to worry too much about the Klay Thompson extension talk that is taking longer than expected to finalize, threatening to drag into the regular season.
“I hope it’s not a distraction,” Lacob said in an interview with 95.7 The Game’s Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky on “The Morning Roast” on Wednesday. “I mean, we’re not in control of this.”
“There are two sides to every negotiation. We want him back. He wants to be back. It’s kind of like Draymond [Green’s contract situation this past summer]. I think everyone needs to just chill a little bit. Let it take its course. My guess is it works out. I can’t control it. I can’t dictate it. You can’t dictate it. Fans can’t dictate it. These things have to take their course. There are different parties involved, but the intentions are really good,” Lacob continued.
Lacob’s statement came two days after ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that “there has been absolutely no progress” in the ongoing negotiations.
There is no imminent deadline for Thompson and the Warriors to agree. They can do it at any point in the season. But the pestering questions about one of their core player’s future could become a distraction similar to what happened during Kevin Durant’s tumultuous final season with the Warriors.
Thompson, 33, is entering the final season of his five-year, $190 million contract, which he signed after tearing his ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals. He was out for the first two-and-a-half seasons of his current contract, rehabbing from ACL and Achilles injuries.
Klay Thompson Expecting Max-Level Extension
Unlike Green, who took a pay cut to return, signing a four-year, $100 million deal last summer, Thompson expects a max-level contract extension, according to Wojnarowski.
That could be the holdup in the negotiations as the Warriors are trying to balance their cap sheet in the face of the punitive luxury tax penalties of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Thompson did not deny nor confirm Wojnarowski’s report.
“ I’m seeking a championship. And everything else after that will play itself out.”
Klay Thompson on Woj report that he has an expectation that he will be rewarded w/a new max-level contract extension this offseason.
Thompson will be in demand next summer if he tests free agency, something the Warriors would want to avoid.
Draymond Green Progressing to Return for Season Opener
During the media day, Green claimed he’s a “fast healer.”
The 33-year-old Warriors forward is backing up the talk.
On Tuesday, the Warriors announced that he has been cleared to begin light on-court workouts.
His timeline has accelerated with the hope that he can progress to three-on-three on Friday and five-on-five on Sunday.
Green will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
“I just talked to him and he felt good in his workout today,” Kerr said after practice on Tuesday via ESPN. “He’s moving around, doing some drill work on the court and by the end of the week, hopefully, he is playing some three-on-three. We’ll re-evaluate at that point.”
If everything goes according to plan, Green will be available for their season opener against the Phoenix Suns next Tuesday.
As of the moment, his playing status is questionable.
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Klay Thompson Contract Update: Warriors Owner Sends Message to Worried Fans