Now that Klay Thompson has officially left the Golden State Warriors after spending all 13 years of his career so far with the franchise, details have emerged about some decisions Warriors management made that frustrated Thompson and former teammate Draymond Green.
The offseason after the Warriors won their championship in 2022, they prioritized extending some of their younger talent, giving guard Jordan Poole a four-year $140 million extension and forward Andrew Wiggins a four-year $109 million extension over Thompson and Green, a decision that “didn't sit well” with the two Warriors veterans according to a report from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews.
Thompson “felt disrespected” with the Warriors didn't offer him an extension after they won the title in 2022 and, according to Shelburne and Andrews, “that feeling only deepened” the following offseason when Thompson was offered contracts in two-year, $23-24 million range compared to Green's four-year, $100 million deal.
Despite performing well in 2022-23, averaging 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from three on a career-high 10.7 attempts per game, the Warriors were still unwilling to give him the type of contract he desired.
From the Warriors side, they knew Klay Thompson wouldn't be a free agent for another year compared to Green who was a free agent, so they wanted to have as much flexibility as possible to improve the team without another long-term contract on their books.
Thompson's camp reportedly proposed at least four different potential contracts, but each time the Warriors said they wanted to wait until the offseason as they sought to trade for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, then-Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges, then-Los Angeles Clippers wing Paul George and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.
Did the Warriors make the right decision?
While it's clear Klay Thompson and Green aren't the same players they were during their peaks, they are still valuable pieces and franchise cornerstones and can contribute to winning basketball.
Poole, one of the players the Warriors prioritized over Thompson and Green, isn't even on the team anymore after he was traded to the Washington Wizards last offseason for Chris Paul, who was largely a disappointment in his lone season in Golden State and is now on the San Antonio Spurs. Wiggins, the other player who the Warriors extended after they won the 2022 championship, has appeared to regress, scoring a career-low 13.2 points per game last season.
The Warriors were also unable to acquire any of the players they were reportedly pursuing as a reason to put off extending Thompson.
While hindsight is 20-20, it is clear that the Warriors would be in a much better position now if they had just offered Klay Thompson the contract extension he was asking for the whole time. Right now, the Warriors are struggling to replace Thompson's scoring and fill out a roster that, other than Curry and Green, is largely young and unproven.
Was offering lucrative long-term contract extensions to Poole and Wiggins and holding out hopes for a slight chance at trading for another All-Star worth losing a franchise legend and future Hall-of-Famer?
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