In the wake of the tough shooting night (you remember 0-for-10, of course) during the Warriors’ disappointing play-in tournament loss to the Kings, one question that rattled around the NBA was whether there would be teams, if he hit free agency, willing to shell out money for star guard Klay Thompson.
He had, after all, not only had a wretched final game, but he had been an up-and-down presence for the Warriors all season, once even moving to the bench. Several executives who spoke to Heavy Sports were down on the possibility of Thompson getting a major free-agent offer in a market that has tightened in the wake of the new, more punitive collective-bargaining agreement.
But there have been potential suitors to emerge. Two were expected—the Magic, seeking a veteran shooter who can help move the team forward after an impressive run to the playoffs, as well as the Sixers, armed with cap space and seeking to remake the roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
And now, another: The Mavericks, who gave themselves some breathing room by trading away Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Pistons this week. According to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, count the defending Western Conference champs among the teams that may make a pitch to Thompson.
Klay Thompson a Mavericks Target?
Here’s what Stein wrote on Friday afternoon about the situation in Dallas, where the Mavs have sent away Hardaway to Detroit for three second-round picks and Quentin Grimes. The Mavs save more than $10 million in the deal, and will have access to their midlevel exception (at least, most of it) as a result:
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the Dallas Mavericks, with some newfound financial flexibility after securing the Tim Hardaway Jr.-to-Detroit trade that I wrote about Tuesday (see the full Twitter thread here), are another team intent on exploring the feasibility of signing Thompson once he makes it to free agency.”
But, it is important to bear in mind that of the many options that are being floated for Thompson, most of them would require the Warriors veteran to take a discounted offer. He has been connected, too, with the Nuggets, who could lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but Thompson would only be able to get a midlevel exception deal there, too.
The midlevel exception is valued at a little less than $13 million in the first year. Thompson, remember, turned down a two-year offer from the Warriors worth around $48 million before the season. He is said to be seeking a deal for at least three seasons.
Warriors Might Still Have the Best Offer
Thompson averaged 17.9 points this season for the Warriors, shooting 38.7% from 3-point range. But he also shot 43.2% from the field, the second-worst number of his career, and appeared more prone to slumps than at any point in his 13 years in the NBA. It’s not easy for a team to commit long-term to a 34-year-old who is beginning to show some red flags.
The only teams that could, realistically, offer Thompson a long-term deal worth more than the $24 million per year he turned down, would be the Thunder, Spurs, Magic and Sixers. The Spurs are rebuilding, and the Thunder already acquired guard Alex Caruso. The Magic are said to have their eyes on pursuing the more reasonably price Caldwell-Pope in free agency.
That means that while more teams are getting involved in pursuing Thompson, the market for him is not exactly changing. He could get a big deal from the Sixers. He could come back to the Warriors on a well-paying but short-term contract.
Or he could leave the Warriors and accept far less money in doing so—three years and $40 million or so.
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