Golden State Warriors icon Klay Thompson is set to become a free agent this offseason. This will be only the second time in his 13-year NBA career that the veteran will see himself as a free agent. While negotiations were straightforward in 2019, the situation is more complex this time around. Amidst tough times, Klay’s long-time teammate, Draymond Green has a word of wisdom for him.
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Splash Brother’s last free agency in 2019 was brief as the Warriors handed him a five-year, $190 million contract extension despite knowing he’d miss the entire 2019-20 season after tearing his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
This season, Thompson had an underwhelming campaign and briefly lost his place in the starting lineup. He finished the season with a horrendous 0-for-1o shooting performance against the Sacramento Kings in the Warriors’ season-ending loss in the play-in tournament. Despite that, Golden State is willing to bring the veteran back next season, but not without exploring opportunities in the open market.
Warriors forward Draymond Green, who hit free agency last offseason before re-signing with the franchise, has warned Klay about the open market experience. On the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, he said,
“One thing I will say that I learned last year, and had never been through in my career, free agency is not a fun place. Free agency kind of sucks. There are a couple of people every now and then could be fun, but the reality is that free agency is like uncertainty. If there’s anything all us hate in life is uncertainty.”
Green noted that players are at the mercy of general managers and owners, who ultimately decide the players’ worth, regardless of what they value themselves at. The veteran forward added that while free agency is a torturous experience, Thompson is free to explore opportunities and he wouldn’t have any qualms if he left the franchise and ended the Warriors’ Big 3’s run together.
Having witnessed free agency firsthand before signing a four-year, $100 million extension with the Warriors, Green is familiar with what Thompson will experience this offseason in his quest to land the best deal for his future. The veteran guard is reportedly hoping to sign one last massive contract before he retires. However, given his age and performances last season, teams could be reluctant to come through on his expectations, which would be disappointing for the four-time champion.
Klay Thompson addresses his future with the Warriors
While speculation about his future has been rife, Klay Thompson remained mute. When he was asked about his future during his exit interview on Thursday, the veteran guard said,
“To be honest with you, I haven’t really given it much thought because of what I previously just said about the season we had and how much commitment it takes to play the games that we did, and give it our all. So I haven’t really thought about that deep into the future because I still need to process the year we had.”
Thompson also snapped at the reporters for interrogating him about his future before asking about this past season. The veteran guard is keeping his cards close to his chest and will likely play it that way until he signs an extension with the Warriors or joins another franchise.
