On May 9, Beijing time, according to NBA Hall of Fame Shams, Klay Thompson's next home has been raised, and he and the Orlando Magic are interested in each other. This summer, the Magic can free up more than $60 million in salary space, and Klay Thompson wants a big contract similar to Holiday (four years, $135 million).
In the regular season this season, the Magic ranked fifth in the East with 47 wins and 35 losses, returning to the playoffs after four years. The Magic are arguably one of the most impressive teams in the East, winning 13 more games than last season and 25 more than last season. In the first round of the playoffs, the Magic fought 7 games with the Cavaliers, and finally lost 3-4 and missed the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Magic pride themselves on defense: conceding 108.4 points per game in the regular season, tied with the Heat for third in the league behind the Timberwolves and Knicks, and conceding 95.9 points per game in the playoffs, also third in the league behind the Thunder and Celtics. However, the Magic's offense is a bit stretched, averaging 110.5 points per game in the regular season, 24th in the league!
The Magic's biggest offensive problem should be outside shooting: 35.2 percent from three-point range in the regular season, 23rd in the league; He averaged 31.3 three-pointers per game, 29th in the league, and 11 three-pointers per game, 30th in the league. In the playoffs, the three-point shooting percentage fell to 30.9%, the fourth lowest in the league; He averaged 10.3 three-pointers per game, the fifth lowest in the league.
Seeing this, you can see why the Magic are interested in Klay: not possessing the ball, providing outside firepower, and making up for the team's shortcomings. It's a pity that the current Klay Thompson is no longer the soup god he used to be, otherwise the Warriors would have extended his contract with him with a maximum salary. In the summer of 2023, the Warriors offered Klay a two-year, $48 million contract extension.
Also in the summer of 2023, the Warriors will renew their contract with Dream Green for 4 years and $100 million. If you were Klay, who contributed more to the Warriors than Green, and both of them faced contract extensions at the same time, and the total amount of your contract was less than half of Green's, would you accept it? However, according to the average annual salary, Clay's 24 million is about the same as Green's 25 million.
In the regular season this season, Klay played 77 games for the Warriors, averaging 29.7 minutes per game, scoring 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.5 turnovers, shooting 43.2%, 38.7% and 92.7% from three. He averaged a new low in points per game in nearly a decade and the second-lowest three-point shooting percentage of his career, only higher than the 2021-22 season when he just returned.
The Warriors finished 10th in the West with 46 wins and 36 losses in the regular season, and in the NBA play-offs on April 17, the Warriors lost to the Kings 94-118 to end the season. Clay shot 0-of-10 from the field and didn't score a single point. In the last game of last season (Warriors vs Lakers G6), Klay scored only 8 points on 3-of-19 shooting, ending dismal for the second year in a row.
Clay's current five-year, $190 million contract is signed in the summer of 2019 and expires in the summer of 2024. Klay's contribution to the team is undeniable, and the Warriors are interesting enough for him. On June 14, 2019, Clay suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee. A month later, on July 11, 2019, the Warriors renewed his contract for 5 years and 190 million.
Klay spent 941 days recuperating from his injury, fully reimbursed for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, and did not officially return until January 10, 2022. Klay's two seasons off cost a combined $68 million, and that's not counting the Warriors' luxury tax. Klay's performances have been so sluggish this season that Kerr has played him off the bench for 14 games......
Clay was born on February 8, 1990 and is 34 years old. If he signs another four years for $135 million, he will be 38 years old when his contract expires, with a salary of $37.36 million in the final season. Do you think the Magic will give Klay this big contract?