This weekend, the calendar turns to June. It's the final month of Klay Thompson's current contract with the Golden State Warriors, and it's still possible that his 13-year tenure with the team is drawing to a close. As a decision on his future approaches, there has been no notable movement from either side toward a resolution, according to league sources.
The Warriors would love to keep Thompson for the right price once other aspects of their roster restructuring become clearer, but they aren't banging on his door to work out the framework for a contract extension, which could happen at any time, and in the meantime, the 34-year-old Thompson seems ready to test the waters of free agency, exploring outside options for the first time in his career.
The last time Thompson was a free agent, in the summer of 2019, a max contract was agreed to quickly and without drama. Five seasons, no team or player options, no messy negotiations, no deals with rival teams.
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That's not the case right now. Thompson has spent the last month traveling and de-stressing after an early, bitter end to a stressful season. But June is work time in the NBA. It's time for Thompson and his agent to figure out what options he really has, what he wants, what it would take for Golden State to bring him back. Then it's a question of whether the Warriors will offer it.
Thompson wants to win championships. Don't expect him to chase the biggest possible offer from the Detroit Pistons or Charlotte Hornets, even if it would be the right financial or advantageous move. But there are plenty of teams with cap space who are clearly better positioned to contend for a championship than the Warriors, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.
Thompson is not the biggest free agent catch. Paul George, who has a player option with the Clippers next season, is probably the most attractive veteran on the free market. His decision to return to Los Angeles or leave elsewhere will affect other players. Thompson is one of many dominoes falling behind him, somewhere between Malik Monk, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DeMar DeRozan, D'Angelo Russell or Buddy Hield, depending on the team's priorities.
Some teams with cap space will likely fail with their first, second or even third options (and will likely find out by mid-June) and be forced to change direction. Thompson remains durable and accurate; he made 569 3-point attempts at 40 percent success rate in 69 and 77 games over the past two seasons.
His age and injury history may cause teams to hesitate to sign him long-term, but a short-term, high-paying contract akin to what Bruce Brown Jr. and Fred VanVleet did last summer could be appealing to both sides, helping teams that could use his floor space in the playoffs — such as the Thunder, 76ers or Magic — now without being financially constrained later.
In theory, other situations could come to fruition, such as a sign-and-trade suitor or a mid-level offer (projected to be in the $13 million range) from a non-taxpayer with an attractive landing spot, but a team with cap space to acquire would be the biggest threat to pry Thompson away from the Warriors in the most straightforward way.
It's a time of uncertainty for the Warriors' coaching staff. Lead assistant Kenny Atkinson is one of the front-runners to take the head coaching job in Cleveland. If Atkinson takes the job, he'll fill a big vacancy next to Steve Kerr on the bench, who will be busy in July with his duties as head coach of Team USA.
But league sources said the Warriors are considering expanding their coaching staff regardless of whether the Cavaliers hire Atkinson, following the departures of Mike Brown and Jama Mahalela in recent years and the tragic death of Dejan Milojevic in January.
The Warriors have had talks with former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham in recent weeks, according to league sources. That's not expected to happen, but it's a sign the Warriors want to add a big-name assistant coach and are looking for a former head coach or former player for the role. If Atkinson leaves, they may add two assistant coaches. The coaching world continues to be in a period of flux across the league.
Discussions of significant personnel moves are just beginning to pick up steam across the league. The Warriors' trade of Jordan Poole for Chris Paul last offseason was finalized in a fairly short period of time in mid-June and finalized the morning of the draft.
So while nothing is imminent or deeply planned, trade day is fast approaching, and there remain indications that the Warriors front office feels this group was given a chance to come together at the trade deadline but fell short of even making the playoffs and is willing to aggressively replace its core.
How will that come about? It's hard to decipher without knowing what will be available to them and how they plan to navigate the luxury tax. The Warriors have made it clear they would like to avoid it altogether if they have the opportunity, but have indicated they are open to making moves that they believe will get them back into championship contention. What moves or players would that be? Even if they can't communicate that, will this season simply be a regression season?
We discussed some of the Warriors' options on our offseason preview podcast. There are two situations worth noting: If Brandon Ingram hits the trade market, I don't think the Warriors would be interested. If the Heat sell Jimmy Butler, I expect the Warriors to be at least somewhat involved in negotiations.
Here are three important dates for June.
- June 24: Kevon Looney's contract increases from $3 million guaranteed to $8 million guaranteed unless he is waived.
- June 27: It's the second round of the NBA draft. The Warriors acquired the 52nd pick from the Indiana Pacers in the Cory Joseph trade in February. They have spent the last few weeks looking to select promising veteran college players for their second-round pick.
- June 28: Chris Paul's entire $30 million contract bonus becomes guaranteed on this date. It can be postponed if both parties agree. All indications are that Paul is very professional and willing to work with the Warriors through all options that may come into play with his flexible contract situation.
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(Klay Thompson Photo by Tearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
