The Golden State Warriors are set to lose four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson in free agency, a likely parting of a legendary dynasty and one of its most enduring players, league sources said. The athlete.
Thompson and the Warriors have not reached out since the negotiating period opened for current free agents nearly two weeks ago and no offer has been made, according to team and league sources. The Warriors, after other business, wanted to return and negotiate with Thompson. But he is not expected to be there waiting in the wings as a willing secondary priority in their summer plan, as his team feels the Warriors’ interest in reuniting the team has been insincere. The five-time All-Star guard is determined to find a new home elsewhere for his 14th NBA season and beyond, with both sides believing their 13-year run together is over, league sources said.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are expected to be among Thompson’s strong contenders, according to league sources. Multiple teams with salary cap space are expected to show interest in Thompson as well. By offloading Tim Hardaway Jr.’s salary, the Mavericks have already created enough cap space to offer their full projected $12.9 million mid-cap hit on the market. The Lakers have the potential to do the same, depending on where the next LeBron James trade and other business goes.
Golden State is on the market as a non-taxable mid-level exception team for the first time in nearly a decade because of Thompson’s expected departure and the potential departure of Chris Paul’s $30 million non-guaranteed deal, league sources said, taking a $73.2 million hit off its books.
The Warriors are open to participating in a sign-and-trade with Thompson to help realize his potential windfall, those sources said.
The split came as a huge surprise to the entire league, given the deep history between the Warriors and Thompson, but it had been trending that way for several seasons, as Thompson’s contract extension talks faltered, his role changed, the team failed to make the playoffs, the Warriors drafted Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and extended Jordan Poole as potential replacements under him, and he never felt a mutual love from management about his place in the franchise’s plans, according to league sources.
That continued into this summer. The Warriors maintained their outward desire to keep Thompson as a core part of the team, but made it clear that he had to come at the right price, in the right role and wait for the right time.
Desperate to upgrade the talent of the underperforming supporting cast around Stephen Curry, the team has spent the past two weeks actively exploring the trade market, including an unlikely attempt to sign Paul George, a pursuit the team now knows is over.
Thompson felt the cold wind blowing from the only team he had ever known, and he responded in kind, limiting communication and planning for the NBA’s future outside the Bay Area.
Required reading
(Photo: Sean M. Havey/Getty Images)
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”