Speculation over Kevin Durant‘s future has been hounding the Warriors for months, but Klay Thompson‘s upcoming free agency is being almost overlooked, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Thompson will also be unrestricted this summer, but he is expected to re-sign with the organization. He has said publicly that he expects a max contract, which would pay him $188MM over five years or $221MM in a super-max deal if he makes an all-NBA team.
“The media, I think, give him a little bit of a break as far as over-speculating and throwing him into the fire because he hasn’t really fueled it — at all,” teammate Andrew Bogut said. “You’ve never heard him say anything bad about wanting to leave here or going to another team or being the No. 1 option. You’ve never even heard that off the record. Some players say the right thing publicly but have different feelings [in private]. He completely wants to be here and he gets it that this is a very rare situation.”
Re-signing Thompson would give the Warriors a measure of stability heading forward, regardless of what happens with Durant. He has been part of the Warriors’ core over the five years that they have been elite and ranks second only to LeBron James in the number of playoff games in that span.
“I think Klay sort of ties it all together in a lot of ways,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “There’s not one person in this organization who would ever question Klay’s agenda or motives.”
There’s more Warriors news to pass along:
- Knicks fans shouldn’t start the Durant celebration just yet, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who talked to Marcus Thompson II, author of a new book titled, “KD: Kevin Durant’s Relentless Pursuit to Be The Greatest.” Thompson acknowledges that the Knicks will be strong contenders, but he believes Golden State’s chances of keeping Durant have improved.
- Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston have both been cleared to play in tonight’s Game 5, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The Warriors were upset about how Iguodala got hurt at the end of Monday’s game, accusing Chris Paul of intentionally clipping his knee from behind on a rebound, according to Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Livingston has been dealing with a sore left hip.
- DeMarcus Cousins was jogging and putting up 3-point shots in a workout this afternoon, relays Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Cousins is determined to overcome a quad injury and return to action before the postseason is over.
I am rooting for Cousins to be able to make at least a finals appearance. But, I must say, that the reason for Durant’s better mood, besides that it’s playoff time, is likely that Cousins is not distracting him or encouraging Draymond to do the same.
There will be FA centers available for next year, and GM Myers could boost the Durant-stay odds by waving away if not waiving Cousins as soon as the season ends.
I think the taxpayer MLE of $5.71MM should be enough to recruit Robin Lopez. Not sure, but on 7-1 GSW is not yet a taxpayer and could maybe use the $9.25MM MLE, before they use their bird rights on existing players?
I’d rather DMC than KD, I know not many would agree, but it is my humble opinion, if he is at 100% is much more fun to watch the booggie, any day of the week & twice on Sundays!
If they use the full mid-level exception, they wouldn’t be allowed to exceed the tax apron for the rest of the season, so that’s unlikely (though not impossible if Durant leaves).
Bogut and Kerr’s quotes about Klay both read like veiled shots at Durant.
Agreed
Nah. They read like the mentality that has won 3 championships. You should try watching the Warriors before you make a comment. Your ignorance of their style of play is telling.