Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors are still in negotiations to extend his contract, but league executives think he will sign a four-year agreement that will pay him between $30 and $35 million a season.
According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, considering Thompson’s current output and the Warriors’ determination to keep him, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry together, that figure “sounds reasonable”.
Curry’s contract runs through the 2025–2026 season, while Green signed a four-year, $100 million deal in July.
Given his prior history of injuries, Thompson’s contractual status is a little less certain. Following an ACL tear sustained at the 2019 NBA Finals and an Achilles tear sustained a year later, he lost 30 months of basketball play. His first full season since 2018–19 was 2022–23, when he basically found his offensive game again.
Despite returning to an NBA that has largely caught up to his scoring brilliance, Thompson averaged 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 41.2 percent from three-point range. A total of 58 players scored 20 points or more per game on average while 36 players made at least 40% of their three-pointers last season.
However, in 2018–19, there were only 35 players who scored 20 points and 22 players who made 40 percent of their three-point shots. It’s reasonable to argue that Thompson’s worth in comparison to the rest of the NBA has significantly decreased since he signed his previous contract, given his apparent decline on defense.
Naturally, Thompson does not see it that way.
Thompson reportedly responded, “I think (my struggles were) a little overrated,” according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “Our team is under a crazy microscope right now. You have to acknowledge that. Sometimes I struggled with my ball-handling. I am a human. Wait a minute, what? Even so, I shot 41% and led the league in made 3-pointers. That is crazy. above 300 makes. I won’t minimize my abilities. I understand how amazing that is. It takes a lot of work to perform that after an ACL and an Achilles.”
In the modern NBA, Thompson needs to demonstrate improved defensive lateral agility in order to justify his $30–35 million annual salary, despite his hard work. Should he turn into a turnstile by the time he reaches his mid-late 30s, that deal would appear to be overpriced very quickly.