NBA rumors: Klay Thompson’s value on the open market
By Chris Walder
Golden State Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson’s value on the open market is at an all-time high after the 24-year-old impressed for a third-straight season.
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In 81 games, Thompson averaged 18.4 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent shooting from three-point range. He added 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35.4 minutes of action.
Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News notes in his latest column that teams around the league are keeping a close eye on Thompson’s progress and may be willing to offer the sharpshooter a sizeable deal if Golden State can’t reach an extension.
Warriors management will do everything in their power to re-sign Thompson because “he’d be almost impossible to replace immediately.”
The idea of packaging Thompson together in a move to land Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves was brought up in the piece, but given his near “untouchable” label, it’s hard to imagine such a proposal coming to fruition:
"If you scroll through the teams rumored to be interested in Love, you can see the possibilities of some decent trade proposals. But you probably don’t see any theoretically available player more valuable than a 24-year-old Klay Thompson.Maybe this is great Warriors poker: By giving every indication that Thompson is NOT available, it only makes the prospect of getting him more enticing to the Timberwolves (theoretically)."
All-Star guard Stephen Curry will make $10.6 million next season and is eligible for a maximum extension in the summer of 2016. Both Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut are owed over $10 million for each of the next three seasons, so adding a player like Love to the equation while also having to pay Thompson could lead to some huge financial problems down the road.
Whether it’s with Golden State or not, Thompson is going to end up a very wealthy man when he eventually signs on the dotted line once again.