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The Philadelphia 76ers will have cap room this coming offseason, which they will have to spend wisely. Klay Thompson is among the high-profile players who will be available for free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey explained how the Golden State Warriors champion and the Sixers would benefit from each other.
“There is plenty of usage, ball-handling and creation accounted for with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. As a Sixer, all Thompson would have to do is move around off the ball and launch catch-and-shoot threes.
“The same volume and efficiency he had this season would be more than good enough to force defenses to keep an eye on him outside. And that, by extension, should pull at least a little attention away from the Maxey-Embiid two-man game,” Bailey wrote in an April 18 story.
In his time with the Warriors, Thompson has quite an accomplished history as a player. He has won four titles – 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 – and has made five consecutive All-Star teams from 2015 to 2019.
His five-year, $189 million contract with the Warriors expired at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Warriors have an expensive payroll, which would make it easier for the Sixers to add him.
Klay Thompson’s Free Agency Prospects Might Not Be Good
Despite Thompson’s accomplishments, he is 34 years old and has had two major surgeries. He tore his ACL in 2019, then tore his Achilles in 2020. He may have trouble attracting suitors because of that.
A Western Conference exec expressed his skepticism to Heavy Sports‘ Sean Deveney about Thompson getting another expensive deal.
“It is going to be a slow market for everyone, there is not a lot of money out there,” the exec told Deveney in an April 17 story. “If you are 34 and you had two major surgeries, you have to face that reality.”
The exec then explained why Thompson could get $20 million a year albeit on a shorter contract.
“You never know how a team values a player, but I could see him getting two years and $40 million, maybe three years with the third year partially guaranteed,” the exec said.
Thompson’s red flags are tough not to notice. At the same time, his limited market could potentially make it easier for the Sixers to sign him to a cheaper deal.
Paul George is Sixers ‘Top Target’: Report
There haven’t been any reports tying Thompson to the Sixers. However, there have been many reports revealing that the Sixers want Paul George.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey confirmed that George is their biggest offseason priority.
“Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George is expected to be their top target if (he) declines his $48.8 million player option with L.A. for next season,” Pompey wrote in an April 12 story.
Unlike Thompson, George has a player option for the 2024-25 season worth almost $48.8 million. The Clippers have extended Kawhi Leonard but have not done the same with George.
How the Clippers fare in the postseason may determine whether George has a future there. At the same time, how the Sixers fare in the playoffs may determine whether he joins them.