Happy Halloween, Klay Thompson! Soon enough you’ll be $70 million richer. The Golden State Warriors reached an agreement with their star sharpshooter on a four-year, max-level contract extension this afternoon.
The Warriors announced the news on their website:
The Golden State Warriors have signed guard Klay Thompson to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.
“We’re excited to have one of the top young players in the NBA under contract for the next several years,” said Warriors General Manager Bob Myers. “Our ownership group continues to demonstrate the commitment necessary to build a championship caliber team and we anticipate that Klay Thompson will play a major role in our future success and accomplishments, both on the floor and in the Bay Area community.”
Multiple national media members confirmed a widespread assumption that Thompson signed for the maximum allowable amount with no options for either side:
ESPN sources say that Thompson and the Warriors have struck a four-year max agreement that is projected to be worth in the $70 million range
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 31, 2014
Klay gets four year $70m deal with warriors , source said
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 31, 2014
Klay Thompson's new contract extension with the Warriors includes no opt-out on either side, a source said.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 31, 2014
This is just finalization of what was reported earlier this week. Once it became apparent that Thompson would reach an agreement with Golden State before the midnight deadline, we speculated that a max contract was in the works.
Quality shooting guards are a rarity in the modern NBA, and Thompson provides immense value on both sides of the ball. He’s a historic three-point shooter with perhaps the quickest release in the game, and has shown off-dribble comfort recently that many assumed would never come. Combined with his relentless on-ball defense, a max deal was a formality – the only question was is if the Warriors would offer it willingly or be forced to do so in restricted free agency this summer.
The former option is the right one. Golden State wants no distractions as it fights to emerge as a Western Conference power in 2014-2015, especially considering rumors that Thompson was unhappy that his name was floated in July as part of a potential Kevin Love trade.
All is well for Thompson and the second Splash Brother now, though, and both parties can focus solely on establishing themselves as elite.
What do you think?
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