Klay Thompson‘s resurgence in the second half of the season has led pundits to believe he will command more than the Golden State Warriors‘ initial offer last summer.
One of them is The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, who revealed that a rising playoff contender from the Eastern Conference is a legitimate threat to the Warriors in re-signing Thompson this summer.
“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 on April 8.
The Magic could have as much as $66 million in cap space this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s salary cap guru Eric Pincus.
Orlando, currently third in the Eastern Conference, lacks shooting to complement their young 1-2 punch of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic are last in 3-pointers made this season, averaging only 11.1 per game as of April 8.
Thompson is averaging 3.4 3s per game this season and shooting at 38.4%.
The Magic could easily trump what the Warriors initially offered last summer.
“I’m told that the Warriors offered a deal — two years in the range of $48 million in extension — to Klay Thompson before the season and now there’s no deal,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on the December 13 episode of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV.
“[Klay Thompson’s] future has been in question…I’m told that the Warriors offered a deal, 2 years in the range of 48 million dollars in an extension to Klay Thompson before the season, and now there’s no deal.”
@ShamsCharania on the current state of the Golden State Warriors.…
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Klay Thompson’s Resurgence
Since Thompson returned to the starting lineup against the Miami Heat on March 26, he’s been hitting 4 of 10 3s.
Thompson has regained his All-Star form, averaging 21.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists with a ridiculous 50/40/100 shooting split. And the best thing about his resurgence is the Warriors won six of seven with Thompson a plus-56 in this torrid stretch.
With Stephen Curry sitting out due to injury management on Sunday, April 7, against the Utah Jazz, the 34-year-old Thompson carried the Warriors to a 118-110 victory with a game-high 32 points.
Thompson has made great strides since coach Steve Kerr demoted him to a Sixth Man role beginning on February 15, interestingly, against the Jazz.
In 25 games since that, including his return to the starting lineup, the five-time NBA All-Star is averaging 18.9 points on 45.9% from the field and 41.1% from the 3-point line.
Klay Thompson’s Durability
After Sunday’s win against the Jazz, Thompson beamed with pride for playing 74 games and still counting this season, his most since the 2018-19 season.
“I missed maybe three, four games this year,” Thompson told reporters. “That’s incredible after two years plus of rehab. So that’s something I can hang my hat on and be proud of. Just being durable throughout the season.”
That durability Kawakami pointed out to be an ace off Thompson’s sleeve when the negotiation talks for a new contract commences again this summer with the Warriors.
“The more durable he continues to be, the larger the contract he deserves. The Warriors should absolutely try to bring him back, and not just as a sentimental gesture,” Kawakami wrote.
It will be interesting to see how much the Warriors are willing to offer this time around, especially after owner Joe Lacob said they plan to get out of the luxury tax as he told Kawakami back in February.
