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The Golden State Warriors likely don’t have the money to keep every member of their veteran core together, but could be willing to get a hometown discount from one of their stars.
The Warriors have already handed out a pair of big contract extensions just before the start of this season, giving Jordan Poole a four-year deal worth $140 million and another for Andrew Wiggins worth $109 million. There are still more decisions to come on extensions, including veterans Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
As one Western Conference executive told Heavy Sports insider Sean Deveney, the Warriors may need Thompson to take a hometown discount — and he may be willing to give it.
Warriors Need Thompson’s Help
As the executive said, Thompson is in an uncertain place with the Warriors. Though he is still a strong contributor, he will be 34 and is not the same player he once was before losing more than two full seasons with injuries.
“They’re not going to give him a major deal when they have so many other contracts they have to hand out,” the executive said. “They could trade him but who is going to take back a $43 million contract for him?”
That leaves the reality that the Warriors will likely need Thompson to agree to a lesser contract, one that better matches his contributions to the team.
“He is going to have to take a pay cut to stay in the Bay Area,” the executive said. “And there is a feeling that he would be willing to do so, it is just a matter of how much. But he is eligible for an extension and that is just not happening right now. He is not a better player than Jordan Poole or Andrew Wiggins and they are getting much less than he is next year. They want to keep him, but there is not much chance of that if he wants a deal that pays him $20-$25 million.”
Thompson returned last season after missing back-to-back seasons with an ACL tear in 2019 and an Achilles tear in 2020. Though he was able to jump back into the starting lineup and was a key member of the rotation throughout the team’s title run, head coach Steve Kerr has taken a cautious approach and worked Thompson back slowly this season.
Other Difficult Decisions for Warriors
The Warriors will face more difficult decisions beyond a future extension for Thompson. Green is also eligible for an extension, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in October that the veteran big man is likely to exercise his $27.5-million option next season.
“Almost assuredly he’s going to exercise that,” Wojnarowski told Malika Andrews on an October 17 episode of NBA Today. “Not sure that that money is going to be — in a long-term deal in his mid-30s — available in the marketplace.”
Wojnarowski added that there could be a chance for another extension for Green, but it would likely be “south of that $27.5 or $28 million” that he’s getting in the opt-in. But if the Warriors can keep winning, Green would likely be on board to return at the lower number, Wojnarowski said.
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