The Lakers and Clippers pursued Tom Klay in the summer to play off the bench, and the Warriors will be unable to keep him for 48 million in 2 years
On February 17, Beijing time, NBA celebrity Charania said on the show that it is expected that Warriors star Thompson will test the free agent market, while the Lakers, Clippers, Heat and Magic will be interested in Thompson.
After 12 years, he played as a substitute again, and the 34-year-old Tang Shen ushered in a turning point in his basketball career. He helped the Warriors win four championships, was selected to the All-Star Game five times, was named to the Third Team of the regular season twice, and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team once. At his peak, Tang Shen was good offensively and defensively, and he was a good helper by Curry's side. He had a magical performance of 37 points in a single quarter and 14 three-pointers in a single game, both of which set NBA records.
But this season, Thompson's form has been up and down, and his contract extension with the Warriors has not been resolved. Charania said the Warriors offered Thompson a two-year, $48 million contract extension, and they just gave Draymond Green a four-year, $100 million contract. The Warriors will focus on renewing Thompson's contract, which will make Thompson's free market worse as the season progresses, and his form will go up and down. But he played great in the last game and he proved that he is still Thompson and he can still help the team. 'I think you're all agreeing with that – like in terms of the role, the minutes, plus he's coming off the bench. As a four-time champion and All-NBA (Third Team) player, Thompson came off the bench and it was a change made by the Warriors. Charania said.
Judging from the previous game, having Thompson play off the bench has boosted his energy, and in addition, he faced the second team on the bench, which seems to be more conducive to him finding form.
"You have to think of the team as a group, and I think the Warriors still have potential, and we're not used to this Warriors compared to the previous dynasty team. It's been a stressful year for Thompson, but he's been able to get through it in a variety of ways, and he's done his best at that. But if I were to expect Thompson's free market situation, teams from Florida (Heat, Magic) and Los Angeles (Lakers, Clippers) would be interested in him. He's going to test the free market, and I'm sure the Warriors know that after a year like this, Thompson will choose to go into the free market. Charania affirmed.
Obviously, the Thompson team is not happy with the Warriors only giving him a two-year, $48 million contract. You must know that now the NBA has entered an era of skyrocketing salaries, and the annual salary of top All-Star players has gone to 50 million, while Thompson's annual salary is less than half of them?
Thompson will inevitably take a look at the free agent market. However, neither the Lakers nor the Clippers have the salary space to sign Thompson directly, unless Thompson takes a significant salary cut, or adopts a sign-and-trade approach, which is very difficult.
If Thompson continues to explode off the bench, then his market will pick up, especially if the Warriors make the playoffs and Thompson shows energy in the playoffs.
'It's been a long season and we've had some really tragic things. Obviously, the death of Milojevic dealt us an unprecedented blow. I know everyone on the team needs a break to calm their emotions. We have an opportunity to continue this momentum after the hiatus. At the end of the day, we still believe in what we have to achieve the ultimate goal, which is to win the championship. From now on, achieving this goal will require some really good, high-level, well-thought-out basketball games. Thompson said.
He expects the Warriors to adjust during the All-Star break. For Thompson, whether he can get a fat contract again still depends on himself. Kerr plans to keep Thompson off the bench, and Thompson needs to continue to make a name for himself.