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The Warriors made a bold move to keep their Splashy young backcourt intact by giving Klay Thompson the max just hours before the Friday deadline, which should surprise absolutely no one.
The only suspense was whether Thompson would wait until next summer and follow the same financial strategy as Kawhi Leonard and Greg Monroe, hoping to perhaps cash bigger checks, or take his money now. Once the Warriors decided to max him out, then the issue became moot. Thompson gets $70 million over the next four years (he’ll sign another deal when he’s just 28) and the Warriors get to relax. At least until the bill comes due for Stephen Curry.
Oh, yeah. Remember the guy who’s now the fifth-highest paid player on his team, after David Lee, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut and now Thompson? Curry has 3 years and $34 million left on what has become one of the biggest, if not the biggest, bargains in the NBA. The Warriors were able to get Curry “cheap” two years ago (4 years, $44 million) because they took a risk at the time on his balky ankle. Basically, the Warriors are paying Alec Burks‘ prices for Curry, but don’t cry for him. His deal expires right around the time when the new labor agreement kicks in, which means Curry should ink a deal big enough to feed his family … meaning, his great, great grandchildren.
Anyway, while it’s a steep price for Thompson, who instantly becomes among the highest-paid two-guard in the game, what’s not to like about him? He’s shown steady growth on both ends, isn’t high maintenance, made the World Cup team last summer and if he stays healthy will be around a long time. No player has made more 3-pointers in their first three NBA seasons than Thompson (545), and he’s one of the more underrated defensive guards in the game. This is actually the second time the Warriors demonstrated how much they wanted Thompson. The first came last summer when they refused to include him in any deal forKevin Love.
Keeping Thompson in the fold, rather than risk losing him next season to perhaps the Kings (not a big risk, but the Rockets said that about Chandler Parsons) means the Warriors can watch the Splash Brothers grow together at least for the next few years. They compliment each other well and are easily the heart of a Warriors team hoping to stamp themselves as contenders. Next up is Draymond Green; the Warriors will try to lock him up next summer, when their payroll will certainly swell towards $90 million.
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