Is There Juice Left in the Tank? 🧃
The Warriors and the team wants him back, as long as he takes a pay cut…
Klay Thompson has had a fairytale career with the Warriors, but it’s hard to tell if his story in the Bay will have a happy ending! The Warriors selected Thompson with the 11th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He’s spent his entire career with Golden State, but as NBA news outlets witnessed, he showed signs of decline this season.
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Debilitating knee and Achilles injuries in consecutive years clearly affected his dynamism on the court in recent seasons. Thompson shot just 38.7% from 3-point range in 77 NBA games this season (the second-lowest mark of his career), and his defense was suspect. All this led to head coach Steve Kerr removing him from the season’s starting and closing lineups.
Thompson is now a free agent after Tuesday’s 118-94 road loss against the Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament. NBA rumors suggest that the Warriors won’t re-sign him unless he accepts a team-friendly deal. Will this be the end of the “Splash Brothers”?
Klay Thompson soaking it all in before leaving the court 😢 pic.twitter.com/YUlvwxUcEL
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 17, 2024
Thompson went scoreless on 0-of-10 from the field and 0-of-6 from 3-point range in 32 minutes in that game, but he can still be productive in this league. After all, he still put up 17.9 points in 29.7 minutes per game this season.
“Warriors’ season on the line.”
Klay Thompson:pic.twitter.com/bC5j8ot6vS
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) April 17, 2024
The Klay Thompson stats reflect that he didn’t have a good year, but many teams would love to have someone with that production level. Let’s go over Thompson’s potential landing spots.
Orlando Magic
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, the Magic have an estimated $25.6 million in cap space. This is likely a lot more than what the Warriors would offer and he’s a good fit in Orlando. The Magic are a young, talented team in need of veteran leadership, and playoff experience.
Thompson is no longer an All-Star but he can still provide 3-point shooting. And the Magic don’t need him to be an elite defender.
@KlayThompson you might as well come to @OrlandoMagic https://t.co/RkK87CsZP3
— Knicks are back (@GivensOnTheCall) April 17, 2024
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are already championship contenders and adding Thompson would make them even scarier. Thompson would provide deadly long-range shooting and open up the floor for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC has enough cap space and they would benefit from his playoff experience.
BREAKING: The Oklahoma City Thunder secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/47tgbG1tCS
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 14, 2024
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers also have a significant amount of cap space. Many expect them to be big players in free agency and adding Thompson can end up paying off. Having more shooters around Joel Embiid would improve their chances to compete, and he wouldn’t be expected to be a star for them. The lack of pressure would help Thompson!
beat the heat #ForTheLoveOfPhilly pic.twitter.com/lGRj2ZPW88
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 18, 2024
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are reportedly looking to pair another star with LeBron James and Anthony Davis but they could pivot and add Thompson. Klay could revive his career there! His father, Mychal Thompson won two NBA Championships with the Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s, and he was a fan of the team growing up. Thompson can provide 3-point shooting and depth either as a starter or off the bench.
“Could you imagine LeBron James having Klay Thompson to kick the ball out to on the wing? Could you imagine the New York Knicks with Brunson and those boys having Klay Thompson?”
– Stephen A. Smith
(Via First Take) pic.twitter.com/B0zeu6KgGK
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 18, 2024
Golden State Warriors
Thompson wants to return to the Warriors and the team wants him back, as long as he takes a pay cut. Will Thompson accept a team-friendly deal to finish his career with the Warriors? Will he go after a bigger final payday somewhere else?
“He’s not gonna get better. He’s gonna make less money but he ain’t gonna get no better. Older people don’t get — sports ain’t for old people. They’re for young people.”
– Charles Barkley paints a grim outlook for Klay Thompson and the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/rGfhuU9vDk
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 17, 2024
The next few months will be very interesting. Thompson just had the worst game of his career but he’s a Warriors legend! Should the Warriors rebuild around Curry and get younger or try to make another run with Curry, Thompson, and Green leading the way?
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