Klay Thompson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Klay Thompson Suffers Torn ACL

June 14th, 2019 at 12:35am CST by Luke Adams

A Warriors star suffered a major injury for a second straight game on Thursday night, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who hears from agent Greg Lawrence that Klay Thompson has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee.

It’s a brutal turn of events for Thompson and the Warriors, who saw Kevin Durant go down in Game 5 on Monday with a ruptured right Achilles. Like Durant, Thompson had been dealing with another injury in the same leg, having missed Game 3 due to a hamstring issue. However, there’s no indication that the ACL injury was related.

Thompson suffered the injury during the third quarter of Thursday’s game when he was fouled by Danny Green as he attempted to score on a fast break. Klay landed awkwardly on his left leg and had to be helped off the court, only to jog back onto the floor a moment later to knock down his two free throws. After making those free throws, he was removed from the game and was unable to return, eventually leaving the arena on crutches.

Despite being sidelined for Game 3, Thompson may have been the Warriors’ most valuable overall player in the NBA Finals. He played a significant role on the defensive end guarding Kawhi Leonard and was also Golden State’s most efficient scorer, knocking down an impressive 54.1% of his shots in the series, including a scorching 58.5% mark (24-for-41) from beyond the arc.

Thompson and Durant had been on track to be two of the biggest prizes in free agency this summer before these injuries took their offseasons in entirely new directions. Unlike Durant, Thompson doesn’t have a player option for 2019/20, so he’ll definitely reach the open market on June 30, while KD’s decision remains up in the air.

Thompson has long been viewed as a virtual lock to re-sign with the Warriors, and there’s no reason to think that won’t still be the case. However, his injury will create a fascinating dilemma for the Western Conference champions. If the club brings back both Thompson and Durant, it would result in a massive luxury-tax bill for a roster featuring two stars who will miss most or all of the 2019/20 season.

As Anthony Slater of The Athletic observes (via Twitter), ACL recoveries typically take at least eight months, so Thompson appears likely to be on the shelf until at least the All-Star break next season, though it’s too soon to count on a specific timeline.

If the Warriors plan on heading into the 2019/20 season with one or two injured stars, it could impact how other Western teams approach the coming offseason. Rival contenders may be a little more aggressive if they sense that Golden State won’t be quite the same threat that the club has been over the last five years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Thompson, Looney, Toppert

June 9th, 2019 at 7:06pm CST by JD Shaw

The Clippers are hoping to meet with impending star free agent Kawhi Leonard once he hits the open market, but the team has started to consider other options in case he chooses to sign a new contract elsewhere, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Leonard is currently in the midst of a historic playoff run with Toronto, one that may persuade him to re-sign with the franchise if the Raptors can seal the deal and win their first ever NBA championship.

Los Angeles has long been linked to Leonard and would have the cap space to ink him on a multi-year, maximum-salary deal if he chooses to leave Toronto. However, sources told Vardon that the Clippers have recently spent most of their time during offseason meetings discussing scenarios in which Leonard doesn’t choose to sign with the team.

Leonard, an L.A. native, listed the Clippers as one of his preferred trade destinations before being moved from San Antonio to Toronto last offseason. The Clippers could also choose to pursue Warriors forward Kevin Durant, Celtics guard Kyrie Irving or other stars on the open market, including forward Anthony Davis in a potential trade with the Pelicans.

There’s more from the Pacific Division tonight:

Warriors guard Klay Thompson said he was roughly 80% healthy when he played in Game 4 on Friday, Matt Schneidman of The Mercury News tweets. As of Sunday, Thompson said he felt around 90% and hopes to be closer to 100% for Monday’s important Game 5.
Kevon Looney felt “fine” after making his surprise return to Game 4, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, according to Mark Medina of The Mercury News (Twitter link). Looney returned for his team five days after suffering a costal cartilage fracture, displaying his toughness and willingness to sacrifice. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes of work.
Former Suns assistant coach Cody Toppert has reached an agreement to join the Memphis Tigers as an assistant, according to The Athletic’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Topper will coach under NBA legend Penny Hardaway, who was hired by the University of Memphis last year. Toppert registered interest from multiple NBA teams but was sold most on Hardaway’s vision for his program, Scotto notes.

Warriors Notes: Durant, Thompson, Gay, Lopez

June 8th, 2019 at 6:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant‘s return appears to be the only thing that can save the Warriors in the NBA Finals, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Golden State’s hopes for a three-peat are fragile as they head to Toronto with a 3-1 deficit. Injuries have hampered the Warriors throughout the playoffs, but the Raptors are the first team to fully take advantage.

There’s no guarantee Durant will return in time to make a difference and there’s not much evidence his condition has improved significantly since he suffered what was called a “mild” calf strain in the conference semifinals. Coach Steve Kerr told reporters last night that he will no longer provide daily updates on Durant’s condition.

“We’re hoping he can play Game 5 or 6,” Kerr said. “And everything in between I’ve decided I’m not sharing because it’s just gone haywire. There’s so much going on, and so it doesn’t make sense to continue to talk about it. He’s either going to play or he’s not.”

There’s more news on the two-time defending champs:

Since the injury occurred, the Warriors haven’t put a timeline on Durant’s return other than to say they’re optimistic he will be back, notes Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Kerr is leaving all decisions to the medical staff, which has determined that Durant isn’t in condition to play. Medina observes that a mild calf strain would be considered Grade 1, which have a seven- to 10-day recovery time. It’s more likely Durant has a Grade 2 condition, which would sideline him for four to six weeks. He suffered the injury exactly a month ago.
Medina identifies Rudy Gay and Brook Lopez as upcoming free agents who might be willing to take the Warriors’ $5.3MM taxpayer mid-level exception for next season. He adds that Golden State will re-sign Klay Thompson “for sure” and will take advantage of Kevon Looney‘s Bird Rights to keep him.
Problems at center are among the reasons for the 3-1 deficit, contends Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. He calls DeMarcus Cousins “a disaster” in Game 4, unable to keep up with the Raptors after returning from a first-round quad injury. Looney, playing with a costal cartilage fracture, didn’t contribute much after halftime, leaving 34-year-old Andrew Bogut as the best choice in the middle.

Klay Expected To Play In Game 4; Durant Out

June 6th, 2019 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

2:37pm: Durant will be sidelined for Game 4, Kerr told reporters today (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The Bay Area News Group). There was optimism that KD would be able to scrimmage today, but that won’t happen, according to Kerr, who added that the Warriors’ medical staff said the star forward is not yet game-ready (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of The Athletic).

Kerr confirmed that Thompson is expected to return for Game 4, and acknowledged that the possibility of Kevon Looney‘s return is now an “open question” (Twitter link via Murphy), as we relayed earlier today.

9:22am: Thompson will play in Game 4, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

8:47am: After falling to the Raptors on Wednesday night, the Warriors are hoping to add reinforcements to their short-handed roster in time for Game 4 on Friday night, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN.com.

As Friedell details – and as Tim Kawakami of The Athletic tweets – the Warriors are expecting Klay Thompson to be able to suit up on Friday after he was ruled out just before game time on Wednesday. Thompson wanted to play in Game 3, but Golden State decided to err on the side of caution with the sharpshooter’s hamstring injury.

“The whole point was to not risk a bigger injury that would keep him out of the rest of the series,” head coach Steve Kerr said, per Friedell. “So that was the decision we made, and I feel very comfortable with it. Never would have forgiven myself if I played him tonight and he had gotten hurt. … Klay has done well the last two days; now he has a couple more days to heal, and hopefully he’ll be out there on Friday.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, who has been sidelined with a calf injury since Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals vs. Houston, is getting closer to a return as well. The Warriors are “cautiously optimistic” that KD will be able to play on Friday, according to Friedell. While Golden State isn’t expected to practice on Thursday, Kerr is hopeful that Durant will participate in some three-on-three scrimmages, Friedell notes.

“If possible, we’ll get him together with some of our young guys, maybe a few of our coaches, and try to get him out on the floor,” Kerr said of Durant. “That would be the next step.”

The Warriors have said throughout Durant’s recovery process that he’ll need to participate in at least one practice before he gets back on the court for a game. While Thursday’s session won’t technically be a full practice, it should give him an opportunity to take some contact, so the team figures to have an update at some point after those scrimmages.

Klay Thompson Won’t Play In Game 3

June 5th, 2019 at 7:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:52pm: Thompson will be held out of Game 3, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. This will be the first playoff game he has missed in his career. Livingston will start in his place.

4:46pm: Warriors management wants Klay Thompson to miss tonight’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals and rest his injured hamstring, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. However, Thompson insists he’s healthy enough to play, and the decision probably won’t be made until game time.

Thompson suffered a hamstring strain in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 2 while landing on a 3-point shot. An MRI conducted Monday revealed the injury to be a mild strain, and he is officially listed as questionable for tonight. If the Warriors hold him out, Quinn Cook and Shaun Livingston will likely see increased minutes.

Injuries continue to haunt the Warriors as they seek a third straight NBA title. Kevon Looney is out for the rest of the series with a non-displaced cartilage fracture on the right side of his collarbone, Kevin Durant remains sidelined with a strained calf and Andre Iguodala is still battling the effects of a calf injury.

Warriors Rule Out Durant For Game 3, Looney For Series

June 4th, 2019 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, including Anthony Slater of The Athletic (all Twitter links), Warriors head coach Steve Kerr provided a handful of health updates on his banged-up squad. Here’s the latest on the injured Warriors, via Kerr:

Kevin Durant (calf) has been ruled out for Game 3. He’s said to be “ramping up” his exercise routines and will get on the floor at the practice facility later today for some individual work.
Kevon Looney (chest/collarbone) has been ruled out for the rest of the series. We already knew that Looney would be sidelined indefinitely, so this development doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
Klay Thompson (hamstring) is questionable for Game 3. He did some light work at shootaround today and wants to play, but the Warriors want to make sure the risk of aggravating the injury isn’t significant.
Andre Iguodala (calf) will play in Game 3. The calf injury Iguodala suffered vs. Portland is still bothering him, per ESPN’s Nick Friedell (Twitter link). But he practiced today and will be good to go on Wednesday.

With practically half of their rotation dealing with health issues of some sort, the Warriors may have to lean more heavily on role players like Quinn Cook, Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie, and Andrew Bogut on Wednesday. Of course, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins will play leading roles.

Any Warrior who misses Game 3 will have a couple days to try to get healthy for Game 4, which is scheduled to take place on Friday night. After Game 4, there will be two full days off in between each of the remaining games, which are scheduled for June 10, 13, and 16, if necessary.

Klay Thompson Has Hamstring Strain, May Play Game 3

June 3rd, 2019 at 9:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors got some good news on the injury front Monday as an MRI confirmed that star shooting guard Klay Thompson has a mild hamstring strain, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Thompson will test out the injury over the next two days and likely be listed as questionable for Game 3 of The Finals on Wednesday night, Charania adds.

Thompson, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Sunday. His legs split apart while he attempted a 3-point shot. Toronto’s Danny Green contested the shot but no foul was called.

If he can’t play, the Warriors will likely lean on Shaun Livingston and Quinn Cook to assist Stephen Curry in the backcourt.

Golden State got some bad news Monday when forward Kevon Looney was diagnosed with a fractured collarbone. The Warriors still don’t know when superstar Kevin Durant will be able to return from his calf injury suffered during the conference semifinals. The prospect of playing without Durant and Thompson would be daunting as the series shifts to the West Coast and Oracle Arena.

Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney To Undergo MRIs

June 3rd, 2019 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Warriors who exited Game 2 early on Sunday night will undergo tests today to determine the severity of their injuries, according to the team. As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area relays (via Twitter), Klay Thompson will have an MRI on his hamstring, while Kevon Looney will undergo an MRI and a CT scan on his chest/collarbone injury.

Although both players were unable to return to Sunday’s game after departing with their respective injuries, they’re both hopeful about suiting up for Golden State on Wednesday night.

“No, I don’t see myself missing Game 3,” Thompson told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who writes that the club doesn’t view Klay’s hamstring issue as serious. Looney also said after the game that he plans to give it a go in Game 3, though he acknowledged that his chest hurt “pretty bad” on Sunday night.

“I’ll at least go out and try unless I wake up tomorrow and feel way worse,” Looney told Mark Medina of The Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). “Otherwise, I think I’ll give it a shot.”

If the injuries to Thompson and Looney are more significant that initially feared, the Warriors could be missing as many as three key contributors in Game 3. Kevin Durant also remains questionable for that game, with one report indicating that he’s more likely to return for Game 4.

Mavericks Notes: Harris, Future, Thompson, Ross, Walker

May 25th, 2019 at 2:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tobias Harris might be the best free agent fit for the Mavericks, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. The Sixers forward fills a glaring need for a scorer who can swing between both forward positions. With Luka Doncic providing the playmaking and Kristaps Porzingis spreading the court, Harris would get plenty of scoring opportunities, Townsend notes. Harris isn’t an elite defender but that wouldn’t stop the Mavs from offering him a max deal, Townsend adds.

We have more on the Mavericks:

Dallas doesn’t necessarily have to win in free agency this summer to have a bright future, ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out in his offseason preview. The team could have even more cap space the next two summers, when other top-level free agents hit the market. However, the Mavs must retool their bench with so many of their second-unit players becoming free agents.
Klay Thompson would be the ideal backcourt partner with Doncic, given his ability to space the floor, catch and shoot or create off the dribble, Townsend notes in a separate story. It must be pointed out that Townsend’s story appeared before Thompson failed to make an All-NBA Team, so the Warriors don’t have to offer the shooting guard a super-max deal to retain him. A more realistic target would be Magic swingman Terrence Ross, who would provide much-needed outside shooting, Townsend adds.
The Mavs’ frontcourt needs should be a prioritized over pursuit of a pricey point guard, Townsend argues in another overview of free agents. Townsend still takes a look at how players like Kemba Walker and Patrick Beverley could fit into the equation.

NBA Announces 2018/19 All-Defensive Teams

May 22nd, 2019 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2018/19 season, with Jazz center Rudy Gobert once again coming in as the leading vote-getter.

Gobert, a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, was listed on 99 of 100 ballots, with 97 of those ballots giving him a First Team vote, for a total of 196 points (two points per First Team vote; one point per Second Team vote). The All-Defensive nod ensures that the big man receives a $500K bonus, which had been considered likely since he was named to an All-Defensive team last season, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Gobert was closely followed by fellow Defensive Player of the Year candidates Paul George (Thunder) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), who received 195 and 193 total points, respectively.

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday secured a $100K bonus by earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, notes Marks (via Twitter). Like Davis, he was an All-Defensive player last season as well, so that bonus had been considered likely — his cap hits for this year or next won’t be impacted by him earning it.

Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:

First Team:

Rudy Gobert, C, Jazz (196)
Paul George, F, Thunder (195)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Bucks (193)
Marcus Smart, G, Celtics (145)
Eric Bledsoe, G, Bucks (100)

Second Team:

Jrue Holiday, G, Pelicans (90)
Klay Thompson, G, Warriors (82)
Joel Embiid, C, Sixers (80)
Draymond Green, F, Warriors (61)
Kawhi Leonard, F, Raptors (39)

Raptors guard Danny Green actually totaled 66 points, including 19 First Team votes, while Clippers guard Patrick Beverley had 48 points (14 First Team votes). However, All-Defensive teams are determined by position, so they didn’t make the cut because they ranked fifth and sixth in voting among guards.

Pacers center Myles Turner (39 points), Rockets forward P.J. Tucker (38), Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (24), and Spurs guard Derrick White (15) were the other leading vote-getters.

You can find the full voting results right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.