Team lost Durant, but still made Splash in free agency
Even if they lost Kevin Durant, the Warriors still made a splash in free agency. It involved a familiar star player that is often referred to as one of the “Splash Brothers.” The Warriors and Klay Thompson officially agreed to a five-year, $190 million max deal after free agency began on Sunday. The New York Times first reported the news.
It is not immediately clear why the Warriors and Thompson did not agree to the deal as soon as the official free agency period started on Sunday at 3:00 pm PT. It is also not immediately clear if Thompson has any options or no-trade clauses on his deal. Nonetheless, the Warriors and Thompson kept their partnership as expected.
Though Durant left the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets, the Warriors at least ensured they will have a third All-Star to complement Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. It also prolongs the likelihood that Thompson and Curry, the other Splash Brother,” will spend their entire NBA career together with the Warriors. While Curry is under contract through the 2020-21 season at age 34, Thompson will under contract with the Warriors through the 2023-24 season at age 34. Unlike the unanswered questions about Durant’s future, it appeared inevitable that Thompson would agree to a deal with the Warriors without any drama or problems to iron out. In an interview with Bay Area News Group last summer, Thompson said he wanted to be a “Warrior for life.”
And why wouldn’t he? After the Warriors selected Thompson with the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, he won three NBA championships, became a five-time All-Star, set numerous shooting records and cemented himself as one of the league’s best two-way players.
He downplayed any desire to have a bigger role on another team both in productive and attention, something that is not always possible on a starstudded Warriors team that also has featured Curry, Durant and Draymond Green. Thompson also loves living in the Bay Area, citing the region’s people and outdoor sites as most appealing.
Thompson had even said during the 2017-18 season that he would entertain taking a hometown discount after seeing Curry, Durant and Green sign team-contract friendly deals partly to help the team maximize its roster depth.
Thompson’s views changed this year, however, amid stronger awareness that any discount would not help the Warriors sign or retain another free agent. Since the Warriors are well over the salary cap projected at $109.140 million for the 2019-20 season, the Warriors also can only sign a player with through a taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.3 million) and veteran’s minimum deals. The Warriors will also play in San Francisco next season at Chase Center, a privately financed arena budgeted at around $1 billion that will generate more revenue streams for the franchise and help then absorb luxury tax penalties.
Therefore, Thompson held firm throughout last season that he expected the Warriors to offer a max contract. If not, he would entertain offers elsewhere. The Warriors had signaled they would meet Thompson’s demands, even when he tore the ACL in his left leg in Game 6, an injury that is expected to sideline him for at least half of next season.