Early on in the off-season the Warriors were the favorites to land Kevin Love, but he ended up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors didn’t want to give up Klay Thompson in the deal to land Love and now they have to pay for their decision, literally. Thompson will be a restricted free agent at the end of the summer, but both parties would rather get this resolved sooner rather than later.
Thompson has improved every year he’s been in the league and this summer he showed he is one of the best players in the NBA. The Warriors want to keep him, but they still can’t agree on a contract extension. According to Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area, Thompson and the Warriors are not close to getting a deal done:
The Warriors have 22 days to preemptively deliver a contract extension that will keep Klay Thompson with the franchise for at least another five years.
But there has been no movement in recent weeks. As of Thursday morning, the sides remain $2-3 million a year apart, according to NBA sources.
Thompson has earned high praise from players and executives around the league. He’s a premiere two way player that will be very good for a long time. Gordon Hayward received a max deal this off-season, which means Thompson will require the same amount of money. Thompson is a better player than Hayward, so it’s only fair that he is compensated fairly. Even if the Warriors are unable to get the extension done by the end of this month, they will still be able to match any offer he receives in the off-season.
Thompson wants to stay in the Bay Area and he has the support from the organization. Since entering the league from Washington State, Thompson has increased his scoring average every year and has had the task of guarding the opposition’s best perimeter player on a consistent basis. He’s also been very durable and at only 24 years old, he still has a lot of basketball left in him.