- Klay Thompson is entering the final year of his contract with the Warriors
- Owner Joe Lacob wants Thompson to stay with the team
- Lacob expects substantial discussions to take place soon on the matter
Klay Thompson can be a free agent after the 2023-24 season, but the Golden State Warriors are expecting him to stay beyond that. Team owner Joe Lacob recently made an appearance on The TK Show, where he spoke about the 33-year-old’s future.
“I do,” Lacob said when asked if he expects Thompson to stay beyond 2023-24. “We’ve had some very brief discussions at this point with his agent. But they’re very, very early. … I fully expect that we’ll have some substantial discussions soon sometime and we’ll see if we can’t put something together that allows Klay to be here for a long time, which we clearly would like him to be.”
Thompson had signed a five-year, $190 million deal with the Warriors in 2019 and it is unclear what kind of deal he is expecting now.
Klay is certainly no longer the player he once was, but he still averaged 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in the 2022-23 season. He did struggle in the playoffs, but we have seen enough evidence by now that he can play at a fairly high level.
Trading away Jordan Poole for Chris Paul is what has really enabled the Warriors to be in a position to pay Klay. Paul’s salary for 2024-25 isn’t guaranteed, and letting him go after this upcoming season would allow the Warriors to give Thompson a sizable deal.
Klay Thompson Is Eyeing His Fifth Championship Next Season
As for next season, Thompson has his eyes on the big prize. Klay promised fans in China a fifth NBA championship when he returns to the country next year.
Thompson will need to play at a higher level for that, and he knows it too. In the series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Klay averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
He shot just 34.3% from the field and 38.1 from beyond the arc, which is just terrible by his high standards. The five-time All-Star would be determined to avoid a repeat when the 2024 playoffs come around.
Klay Thompson Could Be Playing For A New National Team In 2024
While there is a chance Klay could be suiting up for a new NBA team next year, he might be playing for a new national team too.
Thompson could play for the Bahamas in the 2024 Olympic Games, as his father, Mychal Thompson, is Bahamian.
Klay won the gold medal with Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, but can still represent the Bahamas as a “naturalized player.”
Mychal was asked about his son playing for the Bahamas, and he was rather coy on the subject. It will be interesting to see if Klay decides to go ahead with this, as it doesn’t seem very likely he’ll be called up by Team USA for the Paris Olympics.
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