What the Golden State Warriors decide to do with their roster over the next two years could reshape the top of the NBA.
Jordan Poole is coming to the end of his rookie contract, Andrew Wiggins is up for an extension, Draymond Green can opt out of his deal a year early next offseason, and Klay Thompson has two years left to show that two catastrophic injuries suffered back-to-back haven’t permanently stolen a step from him on both ends of the floor.
Dubs owner Joe Lacob said his team will not continue to escalate toward a potential $500 million roster/luxury tax bill a year or two from now, meaning at least one of the aforementioned players is on his way out of the Bay sooner than later, perhaps even two.
An NBA executive spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com on Monday, August 22, and said that if the Warriors are making the best possible basketball decision, it’s Thompson they ought to send packing.
The first thing is, he is not going to want to leave there voluntarily. If you ask around the league, I don’t think there are many players who are happier in their situations than Klay Thompson is in the Bay Area, playing for the Warriors.
I think, sentimentally, they are going to keep him. But if you are talking about losing Poole or Wiggins or even Draymond in order to keep a 34-year-old Klay Thompson, if you’re making the decision strictly on basketball … you’d have to let Klay go.
But sure, look, if they let him go, even at 34, he is going to have teams who want him.
One of those teams, the executive added, is the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Klay Thompson Tied to Future Lakers Super Team by NBA Executive
GettyKlay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a made 3-point shot.
As Deveney pointed out, Thompson is an L.A. native and the son of Mychal Thompson who won two titles as a member of the Showtime Lakers in the late 1980s.
Los Angeles is cash-strapped now because of an inability to move off of Russell Westbrook’s massive $47 million contract, but one way or another, the Lakers will be able to remove that financial albatross from around their collective neck by next offseason. By 2024, Deveney said, the Lakers would be primed to make a play for Thompson.
“That would be fun, if he could play out the rest of his career where his dad won a ring,” the exec told Deveney. “Not sure he would leave the Bay Area if he did not have to, but if he had to pick a place, it’s a good bet he’d want to go to L.A. If they were to keep LeBron [James] and [Anthony Davis] together and add Klay, it is a mix that makes a lot of sense as long as Klay can continue to be a plus defender and a 40% 3-point guy.”
James is also under contract in L.A. for the next two seasons with a player option on a third, and bringing in a perfect match via a shooter and floor spacer like Thompson might be precisely the type of move to entice James to remain with the franchise.
Warriors Likely to Telegraph Klay Thompson Exit Over Next Year
GettyKlay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors is under contract with the team for two more seasons.
Thompson remains under contract for the next two years and the mere chronological order of Dubs moves will tip the franchise’s hand on how they view the five-time All Star’s future in Golden State.
If the Warriors don’t offer Poole an extension by mid-October, he will be destined for restricted free agency next offseason, at which point a team like the Orlando Magic could extend Poole a max offer sheet with potholes tactically placed in it that would make a match hard for Golden State.
An exec told Deveney previously that Wiggins is probably going to command a contract that outsizes his talent, as starting at $35 million annually from the Warriors would be a discount when compared to max deal for which he will be eligible.
Green has also noted his desire to sign a max deal, though there are serious questions from NBA insiders as to whether he could actually get that kind of money from anywhere, including Golden State.
However, if all three of those players have signed new deals by the time the 2023-24 season rolls around, it’s a good bet that Thompson’s days in the Bay Area are done. If one is gone, the chances he stays are high. If two are gone, his return to the Warriors could be considered a near guarantee.
Much will likely depend on whether Thompson can find a career renaissance this upcoming season or if the ACL and achilles injuries have aged his game permanently.
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Warriors’ Five-Time All Star Linked to Deal With LA Lakers