Klay Thompson was bad in the Golden State Warriors’ NBA play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings.
How bad? How does 0-of-10 shooting sound? Thompson also was beaten badly on several plays while trying to defend Harrison Barnes and other Kings.
Now, Thompson is about to become an unrestricted free agent and is likely to test the market, per NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“Klay Thompson is very open to seeing his marketplace in free agency,” Charania said on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back. “It’s gonna be the hardest call in his life to make if he does end up finding another spot to leave, as far as calling Stephen Curry, calling Draymond Green, calling them and saying I’m gone.”
Thompson, 33, recently did tell Green on Green’s podcast that he aims to re-sign with the Warriors. But free agency can be a tricky thing.
The Warriors drafted Thompson with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft out of Washington State. Thompson has made five All-Star teams, two All-NBA teams and one All-Defensive team with Golden State.
He averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season while shooting 43.2% from the field, 38.7% from beyond the arc and 92.7% from the free-throw line.
While Thompson is not the player he once was, it would shock multiple people around the NBA if the Warriors didn’t re-sign the future Hall of Famer.
“Klay’s not going anywhere,” one NBA executive predicted while chatting with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “The Warriors can’t let him walk. He’s a four-time champion, and they can’t really replace him. At some point, if a player isn’t getting the job done and still wants to play as he gets older, you’d come off the bench, and he’s doing that while playing better. Maybe they tie his deal to Steph’s. Klay’s value is in the $20-25 million range.”
Thompson has career averages of 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists. The Warriors have won four titles and played in six NBA Finals in the Thompson-Green-Curry era.
While most people believe Thompson will re-sign with the Warriors, it’s worth mentioning that the Orlando Magic might offer Thompson “a ton of money” this summer, according to NBA insider Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.
“One of the worst-kept secrets in the league is that Orlando, loaded with young talent but not with shooters, might offer Klay a ton of money next summer,” Kawakami wrote. “Meanwhile, Joe Lacob has said the Warriors want to get all the way out of the luxury tax next summer, which is possible, but only if they are very disciplined about how much they’re willing to pay to keep Klay (and/or CP3).”
Ashish Mathur contributed to this report.
More must-reads: