The question of Klay Thompson‘s free agency will hang over the Golden State Warriors until it’s answered this summer. Will he leave the only NBA team he’s ever called home?
In addition to the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers, the Denver Nuggets have entered the fray as a potential destination for the five-time All-Star.
Anthony Slater and Sam Amick reported their interest in a June 28 column for The Athletic.
“If the Nuggets lose free-agent-to-be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has decided to decline his player option and enter the market, a league source said Denver has pegged Thompson as a possible replacement,” they wrote.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is looking at a potentially significant payday this summer.
Marc Stein reported on Caldwell-Pope’s uncertain future with the Nuggets in a June 28 column for his Substack.
“A difference-maker [Caldwell-Pope], league sources say, who suddenly appears more likely than not to switch teams,” Stein wrote.
Thompson is similarly looking for an outside payday. The 34-year-old played 77 games for Golden State last season, averaging 17.9 points per game on 38% shooting from behind the arc.
‘No Official Contract Offer’ on the Table for Thompson
Thompson returning to the Warriors is growing less likely by the day, with free agency officially opening on June 30. Amick and Slater reported that as of June 28, there isn’t an offer on the table from Golden State.
“There remains no official contract offer and little contact between Thompson and the Warriors, league sources said, as the potential end of his 13-year run with the franchise becomes more plausible,” Amick and Slater wrote.
It’s uncharted waters for Thompson and the Warriors both. He’s not reached free agency once in his 13 years with the team.
It may all come down to the dollar amount. Thompson, firmly considered as ‘on the back nine’ of his career, is looking for one last payday.
But the franchise can’t afford to give him one while looking at other roster upgrades. Still, Golden State has maintained (at least publicly) a desire to bring him back for next season.
Dunleavy Jr. on Thompson: ‘We Want Him Back’
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. clarified the team’s stance on Thompson’s free agency in a June 24 press conference. “We want him back,” Dunleavy told reporters.
The hangup in Thompson’s free agency is the exact reason most would be surprised to see him leave: his history with the team.
Dunleavy didn’t shy from the struggles of differentiating business from friendship in dealing with a longtime player.
“I think being reasonable and rational, that’s always how I’m going to operate but to say about a guy like Klay Thompson, who’s meant so much to this franchise,” Dunleavy said. “To completely strip the emotion away from it, I think that’s almost impossible.”
Thompson’s been on a downslide since suffering a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Last season is the first time he’s come off the bench since his rookie season. He spent 14 games coming off the bench.
“I think it’s about what the right thing that works for the franchise and the player and the role he is in,” Dunleavy continued. “Factoring all of those things in is what’s most important, and that’s what is taking place and what we’re looking at. … There are probably varying degrees of what that value is, but that’s on me to figure out what the right amount is for our team.”
Thompson is looking for a payday from the team with whom he’s won four championships. But if they’re to give themselves a chance to win a fifth, they can’t pay him what he wants.
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