On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the panel of Shaquille O’Neal, Mario Chalmers, and Adam Lefkoe named the players who they believed deserved a “big break” from all the negativity they’ve been surrounded by. While Chalmers named Ja Morant for his off-court activities over the past year and Shaq named Russell Westbrook, Lefkoe picked Klay Thompson as his selection for the same.
Advertisement
After Mario Chalmers claimed that there was “nothing wrong” with Klay Thompson, Adam Lefkoe proceeded to explain his take. The NBA on TNT analyst believed that several older players witness a dip in their production as they grow older. However, the Golden State Warriors guard is criticized way too much as compared to the others.
“We all know that athletes as they get older, their production declines. But I feel like we’re talking about his all the time,” Lefkoe said.
Reacting to Lefkoe, Shaq began by claiming that Father Time was the only thing responsible for Thompson’s downfall. He recommended that the sharpshooter continue playing without listening to what the naysayers have to say. Finally, the Big Aristotle did advise Klay to “turn it up” if the latter wanted to receive a significantly lucrative deal in this free agency.
“He needs to realize that Father Time is the only one to beat him. Give me a player that bust Klay when Klay was Klay… Klay needs to just stop worrying about what people say and just play cause when it’s all said and done, he’s a Hall-Of-Famer, he got three or four rings, and it happens. However, he want to get another contract he better turn it up,” Shaq said.
Shaq wasn’t inaccurate in stating that age has been the major reason behind the Splash Brother’s subpar display in this campaign. In terms of speed and physicality, the 6ft 6” shooting guard is still at his peak. It’s just that he’s been having an awful year, shooting-wise. Hopefully, Thompson can avoid the chatter and get his rhythm back, allowing him to help the Bay Area side fight for a spot in the playoff.
Klay Thompson is in the final year of his 5-year contract
Klay Thompson signed a five-year, $189.9 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 summer, per Spotrac. While he was injured for the majority of this duration, missing the first two and a half seasons, Thompson did play an integral role in the Warriors championship run in 2022.
Thompson, who was once regarded as one of the best two-way guards in the league, will not be expected to receive as substantial an amount in this free agency as he has been rewarded with earlier in his career.
According to Shams Charania, the Warriors management did offer Thompson a two-year, $48 million contract extension – similar to the contract Draymond Green signed (four-year, $100 million). With hopes of performing well this 2023-2024 season, Klay turned down the offer on the table, expecting a larger contract in the 2024 free agency. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for the 34-year-old.
In his 13th year in the league, Klay is having the worst shooting splits of his career – 42.2% FG and 38.5% 3FG, per Basketball Reference. Additionally, the five-time All-Star also saw a demotion to the bench mid-season. With all facts considered, Thompson wouldn’t presented with the same contract that was available for his taking this past summer.
Contract details kept aside, Klay has spent his entire career representing the Golden State Warriors. The franchise and the fanbase would want to retain Thompson as a crucial member of their roster if the latter would also like the same.
