Warriors’ Klay Thompson reportedly wants max extension this summer
Klay #Klay
Minutes before Game 1 of Warriors-Kings tipped off, Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell on ABC’s pregame show.
After his impressive second-half surge, Klay Thompson wants a max extension this summer, ESPN’s Wojnarowski said. Thompson has one year left at $43 million on the five-year, $189 million max deal he signed back in 2019.
Thompson was slow out of the gates in 2022-23. In retrospect, it was clear that his conditioning was just rusty after what he called a “mental block” stopped him from playing pickup last summer. (His catastrophic torn Achilles came in November 2020 at a pickup game in Los Angeles.) But at the time, Thompson was ravaged by pundits, with Charles Barkley saying he was “slipping” and reports swirling that he might simply retire instead of signing another contract.
Instead, he had a historic turnaround. He became only the third player in NBA history to make 300 total 3-pointers in a single season, averaging 24 points per game on 42% 3-point shooting since Christmas. His production kept an ugly Warriors team afloat amid extended absences from Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
Even without a Klay max, the Dubs are closing in on a serious budget crunch this summer. The Wiggins and Jordan Poole extensions kick in, and Green has a chance to opt out of his contract. With the Warriors telegraphing that they might only want to carry an enormous payroll if it comes after a lucrative long playoff run, Thompson’s reported desire only adds to the “Last Dance” vibes.