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Andre Drummond Believes He Has Hall Of Fame Case

September 2nd, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The Comfortable Pod (YouTube link) with Marcus Bagley, Bulls center Andre Drummond was asked about the hiatus he took last season for mental health reasons and admitted that he has found it challenging to go from a franchise player in Detroit to a little-used reserve within the last few years.

While it sounds like the veteran big man has come to terms with his role in Chicago heading into 2023/24, the conversation led to a discussion about Drummond’s professional résumé and his place in NBA history. He was an All-Star in 2016 and 2018, made an All-NBA team in ’16, led the league in rebounds per game four times, is the NBA’s all-time leader in rebound percentage, and won a World Cup gold medal with Team USA in 2014.

“I used to play 40-plus minutes. I was a star — All-Star, All-NBA, I’ve done it. Hall of Fame candidate, best rebounder ever,” Drummond said (hat tip to NBC Sports). “… I’ve done great in my career. I think I have a chance to be a Hall of Fame player due to what I’ve done in my career. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m in the top 20 for being in the Hall of Fame, so I have a great chance.”

Asked where he’d rank himself compared to other centers in NBA history, Drummond replied, “I’d give myself top 30, top 20. I don’t see why not. I’ve done amazing things in my career.”

Given that Drummond – who is still just 30 years old – averaged a career-low 12.7 minutes per game for the Bulls last season, it may seem outlandish on the surface to consider him a Hall of Fame candidate. But his claim that he’s the best rebounder the NBA has ever seen isn’t without merit.

Drummond has averaged 12.7 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game across 785 career appearances. Dennis Rodman, widely considered the NBA’s greatest rebounder, averaged 13.1 in 31.7 minutes per night (911 games). The two men rank first and second in league history in rebound percentage, with Drummond (24.85%) comfortably ahead of Rodman (23.44%), for now.

Of course, while he has always excelled as a rebounder, Drummond hasn’t necessarily been elite in other areas of the game. He’s a solid scorer and defender around the basket, but has seen his role reduced in recent years because he doesn’t stretch the floor on offense and isn’t particularly switchable on defense. He also doesn’t have the sort of postseason accolades that bolster a Hall of Fame case — his teams have won just two games in four playoff appearances.

In an earlier era, when NBA teams were built around traditional centers, Drummond would have been in a better position to enjoy a Hall of Fame career. He could still have several more seasons ahead of him to continue building his résumé, but his case will be harder to make in the modern-day game.

Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches

September 2nd, 2023 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been an eventful year on the NBA’s coaching carousel. Within the last 12 months, nearly a third of the NBA’s teams (nine of 30) have made head coaching changes.

Those changes impacted four of the eight longest-tenured coaches in the NBA. Mike Budenholzer (Bucks), Dwane Casey (Pistons) and Nick Nurse (Raptors) were among just seven head coaches who had been employed by their respective teams since 2018 (or earlier), but all three were dismissed – or, in Casey’s case, transitioned to a new role – at the end of the 2022/23 season. Monty Williams, who had been with the Suns since the spring of 2019, was also among the coaches let go in the last year.

Given the turnover in the head coaching ranks, it’s time we update our list sorting the NBA’s 30 head coaches by when they were hired. Here’s the current breakdown of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches by team:

Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 2015
Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies: June 2019
J.B. Bickerstaff, Cavaliers: February 2020
Tom Thibodeau, Knicks: July 2020
Billy Donovan, Bulls: September 2020
Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 2020
Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
Chris Finch, Timberwolves: February 2021
Rick Carlisle, Pacers: June 24, 2021
Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers: June 27, 2021
Jason Kidd, Mavericks: June 28, 2021
Jamahl Mosley, Magic: July 11, 2021
Wes Unseld Jr., Wizards: July 17, 2021
Willie Green, Pelicans: July 22, 2021
Mike Brown, Kings: May 2022
Darvin Ham, Lakers: June 3, 2022
Steve Clifford, Hornets: June 24, 2022
Will Hardy, Jazz: June 29, 2022
Joe Mazzulla, Celtics: September 2022
- Note: Mazzulla became the Celtics’ interim head coach in September 2022 and was named the permanent head coach in February 2023.
Jacque Vaughn, Nets: November 2022
Quin Snyder, Hawks: February 2023
Ime Udoka, Rockets: April 2023
Nick Nurse, Sixers: June 1, 2023
Monty Williams, Pistons: June 2, 2023
Adrian Griffin, Bucks: June 5, 2023
Frank Vogel, Suns: June 6, 2023
Darko Rajakovic, Raptors: June 13, 2023

While there are no surprises at the very top of this list, Jenkins’ spot in the top five reflects how short the typical tenure for an NBA head coach is — he has moved that high despite having coached the Grizzlies for only four seasons.

Similarly, 20 of the NBA’s 30 head coaches have only been employed by their current teams since 2021 and have no more than two full seasons under their belt.

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Japan Becomes Fourth Team To Qualify For 2024 Olympics

September 2nd, 2023 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Japanese men’s basketball team has claimed a spot in the 2024 Olympics by winning a pair of World Cup classification games against Venezuela and Cape Verde.

The two victories boosted Japan’s record for the tournament to 3-2 (the team also defeated Finland in round one), making it the only FIBA Asia club to win three World Cup games this year.

Just one other FIBA Asia club earned more than a single win at the event — Lebanon picked up victories over Iran and Cote d’Ivoire in the classification games. China and the Philippines each had one win, while Jordan and Iran went 0-5.

Japan played in the 2020 Olympics as the host nation, but hadn’t qualified outright for the Olympics since 1976, so this represents a major achievement for the national team.

The World Cup squad was led by Suns forward Yuta Watanabe (14.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG) and former Washington State big man Josh Hawkinson, a naturalized Japanese citizen who has played professionally in the country’s B.League since 2017 and averaged a double-double (21.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG) in five World Cup contests.

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura – who wasn’t part of the World Cup team but who played in the 2020 Olympics – will be a prime candidate to join next year’s Olympic roster.

A total of seven teams will qualify for the Olympics based on their World Cup results. The top-ranked team from each of Asia, Africa, and Oceania make the cut, as do the top two clubs from both Europe and the Americas.

Although Japan, South Sudan (Africa) and Australia (Oceania) have all been eliminated from World Cup medal contention, they’ve each qualified for the Paris Olympics based on their overall finish. France, the host nation, also receives an automatic Olympic berth, which means four spots are still up for grabs at the World Cup.

Germany, Slovenia, Lithuania, Italy, Latvia, Serbia, and Spain remain in the running for the two Europe spots, while the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico are vying for the two Americas openings.

The teams that don’t qualify for the 2024 Olympics via the World Cup will get one more opportunity to do so at a series of four Olympic qualifying tournaments next year.

Southeast Notes: Johnson, Toppert, Jovic, Heat

September 2nd, 2023 at 11:43am CST by Tristan Tucker

Hawks forward Jalen Johnson took a step forward last season into a rotational role with Atlanta and he’s looking to make another leap next season, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren Williams. Williams writes that Johnson has spent most of his time this offseason working out in Atlanta and Los Angeles, which allowed him to cross paths with LeBron James.

Johnson and James share a trainer in Chris Johnson, and the opportunity arose to train with James. The Duke product said he was trying to learn as much as he could from the future Hall of Famer.

“Before the workout, seeing how he goes about his business,” Johnson said. “Just once he gets the gym, he’s locked in, laser-focused, does his routine and then, as far as drill-wise, [he’s] the best on court. Everything’s precise. Everything’s the right way. Even if he messes up, he messes up and makes a shot, he’s still coming back and doing it the right way.”

And while Johnson spent time trying to pick up on what James was doing from the side, LeBron also outright gave the third-year Hawks forward some advice.

“He’s giving me pointers on how to do certain moves, how to be more effective with certain moves, little tricks, just kind of when we’re working out,” Johnson said. “So, just hearing that from him, having that as someone that I can reach out and ask questions to now, you know, it’s cool.”

Johnson, 21, went from playing in 22 games and averaging 5.5 minutes in his rookie season to 70 games and 14.9 minutes in his sophomore year in the league. In 2022/23, Johnson averaged 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game — he’s in line for even more minutes, following the offseason trade of John Collins.

Atlanta seems primed to blend their veterans with their impressive young talent, including Johnson. Onyeka Okongwu and AJ Griffin appear poised for breakout seasons and the team picked guard Kobe Bufkin with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 draft. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray headline the team, which acquired veterans like Wesley Matthews and Patty Mills this offseason.

But Johnson is just one part of that, and he’s keeping everything in perspective.

“I put in the same work every summer,” Johnson said. “Even if John doesn’t get traded, I feel like it’s the same mentality of trying to kill everybody that’s in front of me. Just kind of got to have that killer mentality as far as no matter what situation that is, just go control what you can control, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards are hiring LSU assistant coach Cody Toppert to become the head coach of their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski notes that Toppert previously worked with the Suns in the NBA and as a G League coach. Toppert also spent time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the affiliate of the Rockets, as well as the University of Memphis as an assistant.
Though the Heat don’t have any players on Team USA, Nikola Jovic is putting on a show this summer while playing for Serbia’s national team. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel continues documenting his performances this season. While Jovic has struggled at times, including a five-point showing in a loss to Italy, Winderman suggests Jovic’s stock as a whole continues to rise this summer. Jovic’s best performance of the summer was a 25-point outing against South Sudan. Winderman writes that Jovic’s summer should dispel any notion of the Heat not having enough assets to make a play for Damian Lillard. In another piece, Winderman writes that Jovic’s trade value seems to be comparable to Precious Achiuwa, whom Miami included in the trade for Kyle Lowry.
In a separate piece, Winderman writes that the Heat‘s trade history suggests they ultimately won’t be completely picked clean by any potential Lillard trade. While several huge NBA trades have gone down in the past year including dozens of draft picks, from the Rudy Gobert haul last summer to the Kevin Durant package in February, the Heat have never traded more than two first-round picks for a player. That includes the sign-and-trades for James and Chris Bosh, the Shaquille O’Neal trade, and the Alonzo Mourning deal. While Miami may ultimately have to give into Portland’s demands for Lillard, Winderman writes, they’re justified for not wanting to put everything on the table right away.

Bucks Sign Drew Timme; Sign, Waive Alex Antetokounmpo

September 2nd, 2023 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 2: The Bucks have officially waived Alex Antetokounmpo, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.

The Bucks retain Antetokounmpo’s G League rights and he’ll receive a bonus if he spends at least 60 days with Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm first reported that the team would waive Antetokounmpo on Friday.

SEPTEMBER 1: The Bucks have added a third Antetokounmpo brother to their offseason roster, according to RealGM’s official NBA transaction log, which lists Milwaukee as having recently signed Alex Antetokounmpo to a one-year contract.

While terms of the deal aren’t known, it will almost certainly be a non-guaranteed contract, likely with Exhibit 10 language. Such a deal could be converted to a two-way contract or would make Antetokounmpo eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the regular season and then spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate.

Antetokounmpo, 22, has played in the G League since going undrafted in 2021. The 6’8″ forward spent the 2021/22 campaign with the Raptors 905, then played in Wisconsin last season. In 32 regular season G League games with the Herd in ’22/23, he averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per night, with a subpar shooting line of .372/.247/.559.

Antetokounpmo joins his older brothers Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo on the Bucks’ roster, which has now reached its 21-man offseason limit. The club is carrying 15 players on guaranteed deals, three on (presumed) Exhibit 10 contracts, and three on two-way pacts.

To get to 21 players, Milwaukee also officially signed undrafted Gonzaga forward Drew Timme, whose Exhibit 10 agreement with the team was reported back in June.

Timme spent four college seasons at Gonzaga, building an impressive résumé before declaring for the 2023 draft as an early entrant. He was a three-time consensus All-American and won the WCC Player of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023.

In his final year with the Bulldogs, the 6’10” big man averaged 21.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 31.5 minutes per game across 37 appearances, making 61.6% of his shots from the floor.

Atlantic Notes: Giles, Adams, Knicks Roster, Hart, Quickley

September 2nd, 2023 at 9:37am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nets are signing Harry Giles to a contract and, according to SNY’s Ian Begley and Garrett Stepien, Giles picked Brooklyn over two other suitors who had strong interest in the big man. It’s unclear who those two suitors were, but his agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management said the Nets showed interest in his client all offseason.

Brooklyn’s persistent interest has been a factor in free agent decisions this summer, with Dennis Smith Jr. also picking the Nets over other offers because the team made him a priority.

Giles, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2017 draft, hasn’t played in the NBA since 2021. Still just 25 years old, he joins a rotation of centers that include Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney.

As SNY points out, and we wrote Friday, Giles is eligible for a two-way deal this season due to a change to the Collective Bargaining Agreement despite the fact that he has four years of NBA service, since he missed a full year to injury. It’s still unclear whether his deal includes Exhibit 10 language, but if it does, Giles could have the deal converted to a two-way contract. Currently, Brooklyn has no spots open on its 15-man standard roster but has one two-way spot available.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Former Sixers assistant Brian Adams is leaving Philadelphia to accept a head coaching job with the Taipei Taishin Mars of Taiwan’s T1 league, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski notes that Adams had a storied history with former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, with whom he coached for each of the past nine seasons with the Clippers and Sixers. Adams was also the head coach of the Agua Caliente Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate, from 2018 to 2020, before he joined Rivers in Philly.
While the Knicks have just 14 players on standard contracts and room under their hard cap of $172.34MM to add a 15th, Begley doesn’t see New York signing another rotation-level player. Begley writes that prior to the World Cup, Knicks decision-makers wanted Josh Hart to play more of the power forward position next season. While it wouldn’t surprise Begley to see the Knicks add someone who can have a positive impact on team culture (he mentions Taj Gibson and Ryan Arcidiacono), Begley writes New York could look to keep the roster flexible for someone who interests them mid-season.
The deadline to sign a rookie scale extension is one day before the regular season, or Oct. 24, and Immanuel Quickley is in line for a new deal. Begley writes that he would be surprised if Quickley and New York don’t reach an agreement before opening night. However, Begley notes that if the Knicks sign Quickley to an extension, it would make the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up difficult to trade in 2023/24 due to the poison pill provision. If the former Kentucky guard and New York don’t agree to a deal this year, he’ll reach restricted free agency in 2024.

Bulls’ Carlik Jones Leads South Sudan To First-Ever Olympic Berth

September 2nd, 2023 at 8:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

South Sudan’s national team is once again making history. After qualifying for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the first World Cup berth in the team’s history, South Sudan will also represent Africa in the upcoming Olympics for the first time ever following a 101-78 victory over Angola on Saturday.

Per a release from the Olympics website, the 23-point victory meant South Sudan’s direct competition for an automatic Olympic spot, Egypt, needed to defeat New Zealand by 23 or more points. Egypt, however, fell 88-86 and thus, South Sudan is on to the Olympics.

It’s a massive victory for the world’s youngest country (2011) — the country’s basketball federation has been around for less than a decade, according to the Olympics release. As NBC Sports notes, South Sudan entered the World Cup ranked 62nd in the world but still managed to qualify for the 12-team Olympic tournament in Paris next year. With the win, South Sudan became the lowest-ranked team to qualify for an Olympic men’s tournament since 2004, per NBC.

The Bright Stars, South Sudan’s team name, were the lone African team (of five) to win three of five games.

Bulls guard Carlik Jones concluded a stellar World Cup run in Saturday’s victory, lighting up the stat sheet with 26 points and a record-tying 15 assists. Jones, the 2022/23 G League Player of the Year, averaged 20.4 points and 10.4 assists in five games and, according to the official FIBA World Cup Twitter (link), he’s the first player to register 10 or more assists in three separate games in a single tournament.

On Thursday, the 6’1″ guard was one rebound shy of the first triple-double in FIBA World Cup history in a win over the Philippines. Jones is under contract through 2025 with the Bulls, though both seasons of his contract are fully non-guaranteed.

Even though Jones is the only active NBA player on the roster, South Sudan has a bevy of connections to the league, starting with the president of the country’s basketball federation, 15-year NBA veteran Luol Deng.

When Deng took over in 2019, the Bright Stars were in a much different place.

“Three years ago, when Luol Deng took over, became the president of the South Sudan basketball federation, we were starting in Nairobi, literally playing on concrete floor,” team captain Kuany Kuany said to NBC Sports. “I never thought that we would be here.”

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently detailed South Sudan’s ascent, detailing how Deng personally funded the program and sought after players who had South Sudanese heritage. Deng’s own family fled South Sudan for Britain when he was a child, per Windhorst, and all these years later, the team is led by refugees and the children of refugees from a country that was subject to a series of civil wars.

“It’s an unbelievable story. It’s an underdog story that not just for the South Sudanese, not just for Africa, but for the rest of the world,” Deng said, according to Windhorst. “It’s a feel good story that [a] majority of people can relate to. It’s such a unique achievement because it’s beyond basketball.”

Deng tapped former NBA guard and current Rockets assistant Royal Ivey as head coach, and he led the team to an 11-1 record in the African qualifying tournament to reach the World Cup.

Jones’ record-tying performance in the win over Angola is just one of many impressive outings from members of the team. Forward Wenyen Gabriel, who played last season with the Lakers, put up a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win. Former Sixers guard Marial Shayok scored 18 points while Nuni Omot, who spent last season’s training camp with the Knicks before playing in the G League, scored 17.

Additionally, 7’2″ 16-year-old Khaman Maluach – one of the top potential prospects in the 2025 NBA draft class, according to Windhorst – added five points and four rebounds.

And-Ones: Executives, Value Deals, Super-Max, Milestones

September 1st, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports recently ranked 25 of the NBA’s top decision-makers in terms of how successful they’ve been at drafting, making trades, and signing free agents over the course of their respective careers. The other five lead executives were not evaluated due to a small sample size.

As Rohrbach writes, with how his system is set up, having a high score over a long career is more impressive than an executive who performed similarly with fewer years of experience. Still, there’s an obvious caveat: his evaluation process is subjective.

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is ranked No. 25, followed by Hornets president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak and Bulls executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas. The top three executives in Rohrbach’s system are Jazz CEO Danny Ainge (No. 1), Raptors president Masai Ujiri, and Spurs GM Brian Wright.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype created three all-contract-value teams comprised of players at each of the five positions. Players on rookie deals and those with maximum salaries were excluded from consideration. Gozlan’s first team features four members of the United States’ World Cup roster — Jalen Brunson, Austin Reaves, Mikal Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen takes the final spot.
Signing players to a Designated Veteran contract, also known as the “super-max,” is a polarizing topic among NBA executives, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “Super-max isn’t a guarantee of the result you’re looking for,” one general manager told Heavy Sports. “Just because you qualify doesn’t make you that guy. Inflated contracts are even harder to move. The additional penalties in the new CBA should slow the roll of everybody giving out a super-max deal the first time a guy qualifies for it. Just because a guy qualifies for it doesn’t necessarily make him entitled to it. That’s become the issue in the league. If you’re going to call yourself a franchise-level player, which is what I think the super-max number says, you’ve got to have more than just putting up numbers.”
ESPN.com lists some noteworthy milestones and anniversaries to watch for the 2023/24 season, noting that Lakers superstar LeBron James is on track to surpass 40,000 career points if he maintains his stellar production and stays healthy. James became the league’s all-time leading scorer last season.

Warriors’ Lacob Talks Kerr, Paul, Poole, More

September 1st, 2023 at 8:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Warriors owner Joe Lacob expressed optimism about retaining Klay Thompson long term, as we previously relayed.

However, Thompson isn’t the only key member of the organization entering a potential walk year. As Kawakami writes, head coach Steve Kerr, who is currently coaching Team USA at the World Cup, could also be a free agent in 2024, but there seems to be momentum on a contract extension ahead of training camp.

“We have started to talk with his people, again, same as kind of the Klay situation,” Lacob said. “Very early. There’s plenty of time. Steve is just like Klay, we want Steve to be here for a long time. Hall of Fame coach, we really value him. And I’m sure we’ll be able to work out something that’s fair to both sides.”

Kerr, who turns 58 later this month, has been Golden State’s lead coach for the past nine seasons, compiling a 473-238 regular season record (.665 winning percentage) and a 99-41 postseason record (.707) en route to six finals appearances, including four championships.

Here are some more highlights from Kawakami’s conversation with Lacob, which is worth checking out in full:

Lacob said the team didn’t plan to exceed $400MM in combined payroll and luxury tax payments for the upcoming season, but noted that trading Jordan Poole for Chris Paul created more financial “optionality” going forward — Paul’s ’24/25 salary is non-guaranteed, while Poole is entering the first year of a four-year, $123MM+ extension. “To some extent, this is a year-by-year league,” he said. “When you’ve got a chance to win, you’ve got to go for it. We did the best thing we thought we could do. This is going for it. So we’ll see what happens.”
Golden State’s owner said the team will take a wait-and-see approach regarding Paul’s future with the team beyond this season. Lacob also said that while he was initially dubious about the trade, eventually the Warriors realized it could make them better this season, since Paul has consistently helped raise the level of the players around him. “We kind of warmed to that idea and the more we processed it the more we thought it really made sense — at least for the short-to-intermediate term,” Lacob told Kawakami. “Certainly longer-term, I’m not going to deny, we gave up a great asset in Jordan Poole, probably has a decade or so left to play in this league. He’s probably going to just get better. We were going short-term versus long-term on this. But for a lot of different reasons, both basketball reasons and financial reasons, it just made sense to do it.”
Poole and Draymond Green had a well-documented dust-up during last year’s training camp, with Green punching the young guard. Kawakami asked Lacob if it was fair to say the Warriors had to pick between the two players this summer after a season filled with tension (Green re-signed on a four-year, $100MM deal). “I don’t want to say absolutely that’s true,” Lacob said. “I think it’s fair to say there was some level of concern going forward whether that was going to be something that would work out. To be honest with you, I think it would’ve worked out, could’ve worked out. But I think it is fair to say that in order to make the numbers work and so on, someone probably was going to be the odd man out. It just turned out, and it wasn’t planned, that it was Jordan.”
Lacob confirmed Golden State hopes to move under the league’s second tax apron next offseason, according to Kawakami. “It is very penal to be above it,” he said. “I think our goal would be to be under it, yeah. You just lose too many options in terms of constructing your roster, draft choices and a variety of things. It is very difficult to contemplate not being under it. But look, it’s a year-by-year thing and we’ll see what happens.”

Lacob: Warriors Want To Keep Thompson For “Rest Of His Career”

September 1st, 2023 at 7:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Sharpshooter Klay Thompson has spent his entire career with the Warriors, winning four championships and earning five All-Star nods in his 10 active seasons (he missed 2019-21 due a torn ACL and a torn Achilles tendon). He’s entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $43.2MM in 2023/24.

Appearing on a podcast with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, owner Joe Lacob was asked if he expects Thompson, who is eligible for an extension, to remain with Golden State beyond the upcoming season.

“I do,” Lacob said. “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.”

As Kawakami points out, both Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins took pay cuts in order to sign long-term deals with the Warriors, and Thompson will almost certainly have to as well due to the club’s massive payroll and luxury tax situation.

“Look, it’s August and there’s plenty of time to work all this out,” Lacob told Kawakami. “His contract doesn’t expire until next year. We love him and I know he knows we love him. And we’re going to try to do something here for the rest of his career.”

Based on Lacob’s statements, Kawakami believes the two sides will work out an extension before the season begins. Thompson is eligible to add four years onto his current deal, up to his maximum salary.

Thompson, 33, averaged 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists on .436/.412/.879 shooting in 69 regular season games (33.0 minutes) in ’22/23. In his first full season back from the major injuries, he struggled somewhat in the playoffs, posting a .388/.368/.875 shooting line in 13 games (36.0 minutes), well below his career postseason splits.

Still, the core group of Stephen Curry, Green and Thompson has had a ton of success over the past decade, and the team has been motivated to keep the core together. We’ll have to wait and see if a deal comes to fruition in the coming weeks like Kawakami predicted.

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