Discussing the Warriors’ Options with Klay Thompson
Entering the 2014-2015 season, Klay Thompson, a recent 2014 FIBA World Cup champion, has two years remaining on his rookie contract before he becomes a restricted free agent. The Golden State Warriors will have some decisions to make on the direction they want to go with Thompson, 24, following the 2015-2016 season.
The Warriors have seen how much value Thompson has after the Minnesota Timberwolves were willing to part with Kevin Love in order to acquire Thompson. So, a trade could definitely be in the picture.
If the right trade offer comes up and the Warriors’ front office feels like it will benefit the club in the long run then they should go for it, but Thompson’s long term value is very high, and the Warriors may be kicking themselves for a while if they let him go.
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Thompson is going to be seeking a fairly large sum of money, as he just posted a career high 18.7 points per game, while nailing 223 three-point shots, and averaging 41.7 percent from behind the arc in the 2013-2014 season.
The 6’7” shooting guard has also proved to be extremely durable, as he has played in 229 of the possible 230 games in his career, with the one game he missed due to the passing of his grandfather.
Re-signing Thompson seems like the most reasonable option. Thompson, as a restricted free agent, remains under team control. Any other NBA franchise can offer Thompson a contract, and the Warriors would then have three days to match that offer to keep him on their roster.
If the Warriors plan on retaining Thompson and keeping him with fellow “Splash Brother” Stephen Curry, as part of the best shooting backcourt in NBA history, it seems almost certain that it will be for a max contract.
Another idea for the Warriors to ponder is if they should offer him a qualifying offer following the 2015-2016 season to keep him under contract for one more year, but he would then be an unrestricted free agent following that season.
Golden State could reevaluate their realistic team goals closer to the trade deadline that season, and if they are out of the running for the playoffs, which most likely won’t be the case, they could try to move Thompson then.
Although there are multiple ways the Warriors could go about handling Thompson’s contract situation, some Warriors fans would certainly love to see the sharpshooter play his entire career in the Bay Area as a member of the Warriors.