Warriors Rumors- Front office wants Klay Thompson to take a pay cut
The Golden State Warriors face plenty of offseason decisions, with Klay Thompson becoming extension eligible this summer. The Warriors saw their season end after they suffered an elimination Game 6 loss on the road against the LA Lakers on Friday.
Thompson has had an up-and-down season. He finished with averages of 21.9 points, shooting on 43/41/88 splits in the regular season and 19.4 points, shooting on a 41/39/88 clip in the playoffs. Golden State believes they can still win at a high level with their current core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
However, Green could be a free agent this summer if he declines his player option for the 2023-24 season. The Dubs have to negotiate with both veteran players, who could seek max contracts. Klay Thompson, 33, and Draymond, 34, will likely want to secure one big payday for potentially the final time in their career.
Klay Thompson in Game 6 against the Lakers so far:
8 points
3-18 FGM
Yikes, yikes, yikes. https://t.co/7kPrg1VdnI
However, Golden State may not be able to afford offering contracts that the two players will demand. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Warriors want Thompson to take a pay cut on his next deal. Here's what the insider reported:
"Thompson is extension eligible this summer. He’s making $43.2 million on the final year of his deal next season. If he’s to extend with the Warriors this summer, the expectation is he’d have to accept a paycut, as Andrew Wiggins did last summer. That request and explanation lands softer from Myers rather than a Lacob-led front office."
The Warriors have had the highest payroll in the NBA for years. The new CBA rules make it trickier for them to carry that trend. It's implemented to limit teams like Golden State and Clippers going deep into the tax threshold. A second tax apron is set for teams that exceed the original luxury tax line by $17.5 million.
These contenders will not be allowed to use the taxpayer mid-level exceptions, sign players via a buyout or take more money back via trades.
Warriors hopes of running it back with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green seem bleak
The Golden State Warriors suffered their first-ever Western Conference playoffs loss under Steve Kerr in the 2023 playoffs. The defending champions came into the postseason looking beatable. They had one of the worst road records at 11-30 in the regular season.
The Dubs have entered a transition phase because of their aging core. After re-signing Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole to multi-year $100 million deals last offseason, they gave up the flexibility to retool their roster with reliable bench depth.
.@MontePooleNBCS explains how the "Luxury Tax Apron" under the new CBA negatively affects the Warriors https://t.co/ms9pz7dr4B
That was their Achilles all year, especially in the playoffs. The Warriors needed an all-time effort from Steph Curry in Game 7 of their opening-round series against the Kings to prevail in the competition. They entered the series against the Lakers as favorites, but LA's bench depth and defense proved too much to overcome for the Dubs.
Golden State has faith in running it back with its current core. However, it won't mean much if the Warriors don't leave enough flexibility to surround Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green with depth, especially with all three inching closer or already in their mid-30s.
Klay Thompson flopped against the Lakers and may not hold the same market value as he did at this stage of his career. He averaged