Trailing LeBron James By $63,000,000, Klay Thompson Cements His Position as the 5th Highest Paid NBA Player of 2023-24 Season Amid Stalled Contract Negotiations

Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson has seen his contract negotiations stall horribly this offseason. Entering the final year of a 5-year, $190,000,000 deal, Thompson was expected to sign a new deal by the start of the season. However, while he will only earn around $43 million in salary in the upcoming campaign, Klay still finds himself among the highest earners in the league.

According to Boardroom, in addition to his salary, Thompson will also earn a whopping $21 million in endorsements, which sees his overall earnings jump up to $64,000,000. While Thompson trails LeBron James by $63,000,000, he ranks 5th in the list of highest NBA earners when endorsements are also brought into consideration.

Klay Thompson is the 5th highest earner in the NBA

Thompson previously signed a $190 million contract and will be earning more than $43 million in salary alone. That will be the most lucrative season of his NBA career, despite the fact that he was expected to have signed a new deal by now.

Of course, Thompson also has a number of high-profile endorsements, which include deals with Bevel, NERF, and Waiakea Water. Thompson will rake in $21 million from endorsements alone, which represents an overall salary of 64 million for the player, as shown in Boardroom’s IG post.

This puts him fifth on a list which is led by LeBron James, who will be earning $47 million in salary and $80 million in endorsements this year. He is followed by Thompson’s teammate Stephen Curry, who will get $51 million in wages and $50 million in endorsements.

While Thompson trails James by a whopping $63,000,000, he was expected to have signed a new contract by now. That should see a considerable increase in his earnings, which might allow Thompson to break into the top 3.

Klay Thompson is patient with respect to the Warriors’ deal

Thompson appears to be patient with respect to his current situation. A deal might not have been signed until now. However, both the team and the player have indicated that it eventually will be.

Thompson recently claimed that he cannot envision himself playing for another team,  according to Fox News. With the player set to enter free agency, Gilbert Arenas has understandably run out of patience.

He recently encouraged the franchise to get the chequebook out and ensure Thompson signs an extension. When exactly that will happen, remains to be seen.