Klay Thompson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Klay Thompson Wants To Be Part Of Olympic Team

September 20th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Despite a torn ACL that will sideline him for most of the upcoming season, Warriors guard Klay Thompson is committed to representing his country in the 2020 Olympics, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

“I would love to play (for) Team USA,” Thompson said. “That is the plan. I would love to be on the Olympic team.”

Thompson was part of the team that went undefeated during the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Although he shot just 36.4% from the field in eight games, he averaged 9.9 PPG as the Americans cruised to the gold medal.

He would love for his next Olympic experience to include his fellow Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, who had to withdraw in 2016 after suffering an MCL sprain in the playoffs. Although they’ve never played in the Olympics together, Curry and Thompson were teammates on the gold medal squad in the 2014 World Cup.

“That would be amazing,” Thompson said about the possibility of teaming up with Curry in the Olympics. “Amazing. Because even when we played in the World Championships together, we were barely on the floor together.”

The Americans are coming off their worst international performance since NBA players began participating in 1992, finishing seventh at this year’s World Cup. That was preceded by a series of big names declining invitations to training camp or pulling out before the final roster was announced, but it appears that won’t be a problem in 2020. Thompson, Curry and Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard have already announced their intentions to play in the Olympics.

“It was hard to watch us lose,” Thompson said. “Those guys, they sacrificed their summers for that. I’m not going to dog them for losing, though. The world is good.”

Pacific Notes: Durant, Thompson, Lakers’ DPE, Kings

September 11th, 2019 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant left the Warriors because he wasn’t able to find the family atmosphere he wanted, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Durant got the championships and individual awards he was seeking when he signed with Golden State three years ago, but as he indicated in a Wall Street Journal interview this week, he couldn’t be part of the organization in the same way that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala were.

Poole notes that Durant was impressed by the closeness those four players displayed when they came to the Hamptons to recruit him in 2016. That influenced his decision, but he still felt like an outsider. He wasn’t drafted to the organization like Curry, Thompson and Green, and he wasn’t instrumental in the Warriors’ first title in 40 years the way that Iguodala was.

Poole adds that the family dynamic faded over Durant’s three years with Golden State as players spent more time with their actual families. The Currys had two more children, Iguodala got married and Green became more devoted to fatherhood. Green was a close friend for Durant in his first season with the team, but he hung out with DeMarcus Cousins more often last year.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Steve Kerr tells Joe Vardon of The Athletic that it’s going to be like “Year 1” as he guides a much different Warriors roster. While many key pieces are gone from the championship years, Kerr said surviving while Thompson heals from a torn ACL will be the biggest challenge. “Losing Kevin, Andre, Shaun (Livingston) obviously, those are huge losses,” he said. “Losing Klay on top of all that really changes the way we’re going to have to play at both ends. Klay was always an integral part of everything. Movement on offense, but also the guarding of the ballhandler on defense, switching onto bigs. So until he gets back, we’ve got to re-imagine everything and adapt accordingly.”
The Lakers are seeking a disabled player exception after Cousins’ injury, but it’s likely just a tool that may be used later in the season, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. There are few options who could make a difference at a $1.75MM salary, which is half of what Cousins is owed. However, minimum contracts decrease through the year, and the DPE will be more valuable once buyout season arrives.
Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic will be competing not just for minutes in the Kings‘ backcourt, but for contract extensions as well, notes James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Warriors Never Considered Not Re-Signing Klay Thompson

August 31st, 2019 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The torn ACL that Klay Thompson suffered in the NBA Finals didn’t give Golden State any second thoughts about keeping him in free agency, CEO Joe Lacob said on the Warriors Insider Podcast (relayed by Dustin Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area).

An agreement on Thompson’s new five-year, $190MM max contract was announced shortly after the start of free agency on July 1. He will miss most of the first season of that deal, as his injury is projected to sideline him until February or March.

“There was no doubt in my mind, whatsoever,” Lacob said. “I, and we, want Klay to be here for a long time. He’s one of my favorite players in the world.”

Thompson suffered the injury late in Game 6 as the Warriors were clinging to a three-point lead. He landed awkwardly on a dunk attempt and grabbed his knee. Golden State wound up losing the game and the series.

“ACLs … not good, OK we know that,” Lacob said. “But stuff happens and that’s an injury that now people know how to manage. Plenty of people have come back from ACLs and done pretty well. Honestly, (not re-signing him) didn’t even remotely cross my mind.”

This is the first serious injury that Thompson has experienced since joining the Warriors as the 11th pick in the 2011 draft. He has appeared in at least 73 games every season and contributes on both ends of the court, averaging 19.5 PPG over his career and frequently taking the toughest defensive matchup.

“Personally, I think he’s the greatest two-guard — I’m old school. I know it’s positionless basketball, but I go by positions. To me, he’s the greatest two-guard on the planet,” Lacob said. “… He’s a two-way player. He’s got great size and he’s an incredible shooter and he plays hard. What more can you ask for than Klay Thompson? Why would you not want Klay Thompson?”

Warriors Notes: Green, Durant, Curry, Russell

August 14th, 2019 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Draymond Green still considers Kevin Durant to be a close friend, despite their highly publicized confrontation last November and Durant’s decision to leave Golden State in free agency. In an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that aired today on “The Jump” (video link), Green talks about the success they had with the Warriors and says he learned that Durant was joining the Nets at the same time everyone else did.

“He don’t owe it to me to tell me before everybody else,” Green said. “We did what we had to do. The thing that people forget about in this league is this is our lives. I’m not about to go to Kevin Durant and say, ‘Hey Kevin, can I get my fiancé pregnant?’ But that’s my life. I’m sorry but that’s my life. Am I supposed to come to you and A) Let you know that that’s what I wanna do? Or B) Ask you for permission? No. So I found out when everybody else found out, which is exactly how it should be.”

Green also said he talked to Durant yesterday and still thinks of him as “my brother.” He’s grateful for what they accomplished as teammates, including two titles and a loss in this year’s Finals, calling it “a major success.”

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Green also touched on the four-year, $99.7MM contract extension he signed last week. Although he might have earned more on the open market, he’s happy to be tied to the Warriors through the end of the 2023/24 season. He also considers it validation for the aggressive way he likes to play the game. “This contract tells you that all the garbage that you tried to say about me — arguing with Kevin or about the things with Steve Kerr or about the suspension (in the 2016 NBA Finals) — it just tells you that there was a method to that madness,” Green said.
This summer’s roster upheaval has left Stephen Curry as the Warriors’ oldest player for the first time in his career, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. A few months ago, Curry was the fifth oldest, but the team parted with five players who were past their 30th birthday.
With D’Angelo Russell joining the league’s most celebrated backcourt, Curry tells Slater that a three-guard approach can be successful once Klay Thompson returns from a torn ACL. “You get creative on how you mix up matchups, create good offense throughout the entire game,” Curry said. “Even defensively, I know there’s a lot of talk about that, our size, but the competitive fire will come out and find ways to get it done on that end of the floor.”

Klay Thompson Talks New Contract, ACL Recovery, More

August 2nd, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Klay Thompson‘s 2018/19 season came to a disappointing end on June 13, the night of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. With the Warriors battling to stay alive and extend the series, Thompson went down with a knee injury that was later diagnosed as a torn ACL. The Warriors ultimately failed to force a Game 7, falling to the Raptors later that night.

Thompson told ESPN’s Cari Champion on Thursday that it was devastating to suffer that injury and to fall short of the Warriors’ fourth title in five years, but that he was thrilled to sign a new five-year, maximum-salary contract with the team in the offseason.

“I jumped on that as soon as I could, just because the history with this team and the franchise it would be so hard to leave,” Thompson said. “And the feeling of, you know, unfinished business, getting that close in the Finals, or to the fourth championship — tasting it — just being out of reach. It’s the pain of sports, but it’s what keeps me motivated.”

In his first real interview since the end of the season, Thompson praised the Warriors’ offseason moves, referring to the acquisition of D’Angelo Russell as a move that gave “a breath of fresh life” to him and his teammates. He also addressed his knee injury, his potential recovery timetable (he doubts he’ll be back before the All-Star break), and the Warriors’ outlook going forward.

Here are a few of the highlights from Thompson, via ESPN:

On his first reaction to tearing his ACL:

“I knew I did something. But I’ve never had the severity of an ACL injury or an injury that bad. So me, personally, I didn’t think it was that bad, initially. My adrenaline was so high, being Game 6, whatever. I thought I sprained my knee; that’s all I thought it was. But when I went back to the locker room, it swelled up a lot, didn’t feel right. It’s just not a good feeling when you feel helpless and the team’s out there competing.”

On his recovery timetable:

“I’ve heard varying opinions about [it], especially medically, I don’t want to rush it ’cause I want to play until I’m 38, 39, 40 years old. That’s my plan, especially because the way I can shoot the ball. I would love to see the floor this season. I don’t know when that is.”

On the perception that the Warriors’ dynasty has come to an end:

“To say the dynasty is over I think is a little ignorant, ’cause I think I’m going to come back 100 percent — I think I’m going to come back even better and more athletic. And it would not be smart to count the Dubs out. That’s all I tell people, especially with the chemistry we still have and our foundation still being there, I think we have the ability to continue this run.”

Pacific Notes: Ballmer, Wright, West, Warriors

July 27th, 2019 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Steve Ballmer’s actions over the past year should end any speculation that he has a long-term strategy to move the Clippers to Seattle, writes Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times. Ballmer has strong ties to the Pacific Northwest, where he made his fortune as CEO of Microsoft. He tried to buy the SuperSonics in 2008 and had a deal in place to move the Kings to Seattle in 2013 before it fell through.

However, Ballmer recognizes that the Clippers would drop in value if they were moved from the nation’s second-largest media market and has been taking steps to ensure their long-term future in Los Angeles. The team formally announced plans Thursday for a new 18,500-seat arena in Inglewood that will be built without public money. Ballmer also approved two bold moves this summer to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, making the Clippers legitimate contenders for the NBA title.

“We’re not moving the team to Seattle,” Ballmer declared recently. “We’re building a new billion-dollar-plus home in Inglewood.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers made an addition to their coaching staff this week by hiring Todd Wright, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Wright served as head of strength and conditioning as well as an assistant coach for the Sixers for the past four seasons.
The Lakers will part with director of player personnel Ryan West, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic (Twitter link). The son of NBA legend Jerry West had been with the team since he was hired as a scout in 2009 and is given credit for identifying D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson in their respective drafts. West’s departure was a mutual decision that was reached in the past few days, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. His contract had expired and he and the organization agreed that he had “reached a ceiling” in his current role.
Salary cap expert David Kelly, who serves as general counsel for the Warriors, shares his perspective on an eventful offseason with Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Klay Thompson had assured Golden State officials that he was staying, which eliminated one worry when they got official notice that Kevin Durant was leaving for the Nets. The focus immediately shifted to Russell, whom the team had targeted as a potential option several months before. Kelly had to work through a complex series of maneuvers before a sign-and-trade with Brooklyn could be legally completed.

Klay Thompson Signs Five-Year Max Deal With Warriors

July 10th, 2019 at 5:48pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10: Thompson’s five-year, maximum-salary contract is now official, the Warriors announced in a press release.

JULY 1: Wojnarowski provides another update on Thompson’s new contract, tweeting that it includes a 15% trade bonus. Trade bonuses can’t push a player’s salary beyond his max, so Klay wouldn’t receive it in the unlikely event he’s traded this season. That could change down the road.

JUNE 30: The Warriors and Thompson have a “done deal” in place, three sources confirm to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). A source tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) that it’s a standard five-year deal with no options and no no-trade clause.

JUNE 29: The Warriors and Thompson plan to reach an agreement on a five-year max deal shortly after free agency begins on Sunday, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

JUNE 28: The Warriors are planning to offer All-Star guard Klay Thompson a five-year, maximum-salary contract when free agency opens on Sunday, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, that offer will likely accelerate Thompson’s free agency, as the two sides aren’t expected to take long to reach an agreement.

Reports this week have indicated that Thompson had considered meeting with the Lakers and Clippers if the Warriors didn’t put that five-year offer (worth a projected $189.66MM) on the table right away. However, there has been no indication – even after Thompson tore his ACL – that Golden State was wavering on making that commitment.

According to Wojnarowski, several teams that had Thompson on their wish lists have given up hope on that possibility in recent days, becoming convinced that the sharpshooter will remain in the Bay Area.

An ESPN report this morning suggested that Thompson’s camp might have been using those Los Angeles teams to create leverage to ask the Warriors for a fifth-year player option or a no-trade clause. Stephen Curry didn’t get either of those perks in his own five-year, maximum-salary deal, so Golden State may be reluctant to give them to Thompson. At this point, it’s not clear whether or not Klay’s camp intends to push for either one.

If the Warriors can lock up Thompson, they’ll be halfway to keeping their core intact for the 2019/20 season. The team also reportedly plans to offer a five-year maximum-salary (worth a projected $221MM+) to Kevin Durant.

[UPDATE: Durant has committed to the Nets]

Both Thompson and Durant – who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles – are expected to miss most or all of next season, but would be ready to go for 2020/21.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Klay Thompson Undergoes ACL Surgery

July 2nd, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly three weeks after he suffered a torn ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Warriors guard Klay Thompson has undergone successful surgery to repair the injury, a league source ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, per Wojnarowski.

A recovery timeline for Thompson has not yet been established, but agent Greg Lawrence told Wojnarowski (Twitter links) that he anticipates the process to take about five to seven months, though he later clarified that a five-month timeline may be aggressive.

“While we are optimistic on a return as quickly as possible, Klay and the team are committed to taking the necessary time with the process,” Lawrence said.

Mark Medina of The Mercury News (Twitter link) estimates a six-to-nine month timeline. Either way, Thompson should have a good chance to return before the end of the 2019/20 season.

Thompson and the Warriors agreed to terms this week on a five-year, maximum-salary contract that will run through the 2023/24 season, so the team figures to be patient with the sharpshooter’s recovery, with an eye toward keeping him healthy for the long term.

Free Agent Rumors: Klay, Horford, Brogdon, Jordan

June 28th, 2019 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have long hinted that they plan to offer Klay Thompson a five-year, maximum-salary deal, and there have been no signals that they’ll change that stance in the wake of Thompson’s torn ACL. So why are there rumblings about Thompson potentially meeting with other teams if the Warriors don’t put that offer on the table right away?

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, there are some “outstanding issues” that could force Thompson to try to generate some added leverage. Stephen Curry‘s five-year deal with the Warriors didn’t include a fifth-year opt-out or a no-trade clause, setting a precedent for what Golden State’s five-year max deals might look like going forward, as the ESPN duo notes. If Thompson prioritizes a player option or a no-trade clause, talking to the Lakers and/or Clippers may be his best chance to create a little extra leverage with the Warriors.

Elsewhere on the Warriors front, Draymond Green is eligible for a contract extension and is open to discussing a new deal before he reaches free agency in 2020, sources tell ESPN. Those talks are expected to happen later in the offseason, though I’d be surprised if they get something done, since Green could earn more in free agency.

Here’s more from Shelburne and Windhorst on the 2019 free agent class:

The Sixers and Kings are among the potential suitors for Al Horford, according to ESPN’s report. Sacramento, in particular, has a clear path to making Horford a big offer, but the club is believed to have other centers – including Brook Lopez and Nikola Vucevic – on its list of potential targets, per ESPN.
League executives believe a team may look to pry Malcolm Brogdon away from the Bucks by putting together an offer sheet that starts at a high number and descends in later seasons, according to Shelburne and Windhorst. A player option and various bonuses could also be added to such an offer sheet, the ESPN duo adds, identifying the Bulls, Suns, Mavericks, and Celtics (if they don’t get Kemba Walker) as possible suitors for Brogdon.
The Bucks will almost certainly waive George Hill to avoid guaranteeing his $19MM salary, but there’s mutual interest in a new deal between the two sides, especially if the club doesn’t retain Brogdon, according to ESPN.
DeAndre Jordan is believed to have interest in playing in Los Angeles again, sources tell ESPN. Either the Clippers or Lakers could be a fit for the veteran center.

Clippers, Lakers Contenders For Klay Thompson If Warriors Don’t Offer Full Max

June 27th, 2019 at 8:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Klay Thompson is expecting the Warriors to offer him a full max contract once free agency begins on Sunday. Should the Warriors either delay their offer or offer less than the max, Thompson will listen to pitches from the Lakers and Clippers, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

It was previously reported that the shooting guard would give the Clippers some attention if the Warriors don’t have the offer ready for him, but now the Lakers have been added to his list of fallback max options.

LeBron James‘ team amended the Anthony Davis trade agreement earlier today, which helped the club create additional cap room. Los Angeles projects to have roughly $32M in cap space, putting the team about $700K short of being able to offer a full max for a player with Thompson’s experience.

Thompson, who tore his ACL during the NBA Finals, is eligible for a five-year max deal worth approximately $190MM. Should he sign elsewhere, he’d be limited to a four-year contract worth approximately $141MM.

Despite the latest news, the five-time All-Star is still considered a strong bet to re-sign with Golden State.