Klay Thompson’s recent revival in form has resulted in an extreme and quick change of tune from Gilbert Arenas. Thompson had come under severe scrutiny since the start of the season as his attempts to get back to his past form after a long injury haul failed to produce results. The Golden State Warriors star had previously turned down a 2-year, $48 million extension from the Warriors, obviously convinced of the fact that he deserved more.
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Just last week, Arenas had claimed on Gil’s Arena that the Warriors have dodged a bullet by not extending Thompson’s stay. The former Wizards star claimed that contracts are supposed to be a representation of what the player has done the current year, and not what he will go on to do, suggesting that the 5-time All-Star’s poor form was bound to plague the Warriors in the future had he signed the extension.
Agent Zero also pointed out some of Klay’s stats to substantiate his point. However, a recent No Chill Gil episode saw Arenas make a U-turn. He explained that Thompson had entered the season with loyalty and money on his mind, due to the happenings of the summer. However, Arenas accepted the fact that a player of Klay’s caliber can get going pretty quickly.
“When you’re talking about a guy like that, who’s a high-level shooter, all it takes is sometimes two consecutive buckets to go in a great game, to get your mojo back. And his Mojo’s back you know. Last four games 30, 24, 28, 24. I mean he’s made his last 19 free throws. But the most important thing for a player like me to see Klay do is shoot the f***ing ball,” Arenas explained, before talking about the kind of money the Warriors should now offer the player.
Arenas claimed that he himself would be willing to open with a 4-year, $100 million offer, but things could prove tricky if Thompson wanted a shorter contract. In fact, Arenas captioned the video, “Gilbert Arenas Says Pay Klay His Got Dang Money.”
“4-year 100 if he’s looking for a four-year deal. If he’s looking for a three-year deal this is where it gets tricky…I would do 2-year 70 because I really do want him for two more years and just to see, but I’m going to go for it if he takes longer years less pay,” Arenas explained.
Hence, while Arenas previously believed that Thompson’s time at the Warriors might be coming to an end, he now wants the franchise to pay big money to keep a hold of the star. He explained that his final offers would involve a 3-year, $90 million contract, or a 2-year, $70 million deal to keep a hold of the 4-time champion.
Arenas swift U-turn shows just how fickle NBA narratives can be. Thompson has himself highlighted how the media can go different stages of coverage through an 82-game season for the same player. However, the Dubs will probably like to see a few more games before offering Klay big money for the next few years.
Klay Thompson’s form revival has put the NBA on notice
The Warriors had continuously struggled since the start of the season, and things obviously got worse when Draymond Green got suspended once again. However, Thompson’s revival has led to a range of analysts backing the franchise again.
JJ Reddick, in particular, talked about how conversations about Thompson’s form have been common at the start of the year since many a season. He claimed that he was still not willing to sell the ‘Warriors’ stock,’ and expects the revival to continue with the return of Green.
Thompson himself has grown in confidence and recently stated that he and his teammates were all looking to do their best in order to help Stephen Curry. Thompson promised the recent revival was just the beginning, and people can expect a range of big performances in near future.
