While the Golden State Warriors were expected to have a battle on their hands to retain the services of Kevin Durant, things were projected to be far easier with Klay Thompson. The sharpshooting wing who has been invaluable to the Dubs during their runs to the NBA Finals over the last half-decade was also an unrestricted free agent, and while you’d be hard-pressed to find a team that wouldn’t love to have him around, it’s been made clear that Thompson wanted to stick around with the only team for which he’s played.
That appears like it will come to fruition sooner rather than later once free agency opens up. According to a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Warriors and Thompson will agree to a five-year, $190 million max deal.
Sources: Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors plan to reach agreement on a five-year, $190M maximum contract, with the Warriors sending a front-office contingent to Los Angeles to visit Thompson within the next day.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2019
As Charania noted, making sure Thompson stuck around was a no-brainer for the Dubs.
The Warriors always planned to give Thompson the type of contract he wanted and the franchise made this a priority entering June 30 free agency. Splash Brothers stay in the Bay. https://t.co/aJ6urPpIZJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2019
Thompson might have been the best player on the floor for Golden State in the NBA Finals prior to going down in Game 6 with a torn ACL. While the injury is expected to keep him out until some point midway through the 2019-20 campaign, Thompson is still as important to the Warriors success as anyone on both ends of the floor, averaging 21.5 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting from deep last season.
Now, all eyes turn to Durant and his free agency decision, but even if he decides to head elsewhere, Golden State fans can at least sleep soundly knowing that one half of the Splash Brothers isn’t going anywhere.
