"I was very driven": Klay Thompson worked extremely hard in offseason to prove his critics wrong after tough season
Klay Thompson, who has bounced back from a two-year injury nightmare, has said that he worked hard in the offseason to prove his detractors wrong.
The four-time NBA champion missed the 2019-20 season with a knee injury. He then suffered an Achilles injury the following summer and was forced to miss the 2020-21 season. Thompson returned in 2021-22 and immediately helped the Warriors win their fourth NBA championship.
However, it was not until last season that the former All-Star began to rediscover the best version of himself. Thompson's 3-point shooting bounced back to an elite 41.2% on 10.6 attempts per game, but his defense remained a work in progress. Nevertheless, in his first full season back on the court, Thompson impressed alongside his long-time running mate Steph Curry.
As he heads into the new season, Thompson is excited to prove that he's still one of the elite three-and-d players in the NBA. The veteran wing discussed his off-season work during a recent Sirius XM NBA Radio appearance.
"It's night and day," Thompson said. "No championship hangover for me this summer. I was very driven. I worked extremely hard. I know that I don't have 10 more years to do this.
"So, I realize that I must enjoy every single day. I feel great. This is the best I've physically felt in years. I'm just really excited to show the world I'm still capable of greatness."
Thompson will have Chris Paul as a new teammate. The Golden State Warriors acquired the veteran point guard earlier this summer in a deal that sent Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards.
Chris Paul's addition could help ease some of the defensive pressure Thompson is accustomed to facing.
Klay Thompson could become a free agent next summer
Klay Thompson is entering the final year of his $189 million deal. The veteran wing will earn $43.2 million for the upcoming season. However, the Golden State Warriors are yet to begin negotiations over Thompson's contract extension.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Thompson could enter the free-agent market in the summer of 2024. The 33-year-old will likely field multiple contract offers from around the NBA.
“Both (are) still apart on years and money, and there’s a very real possibility that Klay Thompson goes into free agency next summer without a deal, and I think that’s where it gets complicated for Golden State," Wojnarowski said.
"It becomes something of a high-wire act, especially if Klay Thompson duplicates this year the kind of season he had last year. You know in the marketplace, teams value shooting, they value high-level wing defense.”
Golden State's negotiating tactic isn't new. Last season, they allowed Draymond Green's expiring contract to run down before agreeing a four-year contract extension worth $100 million in the opening days of the offseason.
Thompson has spent his entire career with the Warriors. He has been vocal about his desire to retire with the franchise. The Warriors will likely follow a similar path to the Green extension.
By waiting until the end of the season, they would gather data about Thompson's level of play, allowing them to make an informed decision on what his next contract should look like.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob has also been open about his desire to keep the Warriors core together for the rest of their careers. Hence, it's unlikely that Klay Thompson will be walking away in the summer.