Klay Thompson Rejected His $48 Million Extension Due to “Strained” Front Office Relations? Popular Bay Area Show Investigates

After months, the submerged Klay Thompson contract rejection conversation came to the surface again. The Golden State Warriors star shooter went through a range of emotions throughout this season, with plenty of highs and lows on and off the court. Notably, he shook the Dubs Nations when he reportedly declined a 2-year contract extension a few months ago. Now that Thompson orchestrated a mini comeback with his performance, 95.7 The Game, a popular radio show dug deeper into the affair and also offered a solution.

Steiny and Guru teamed up and debated around Thompson’s contract extension. Steiny dropped a hammer on the Bay Area fans, doubting China Klay‘s future with the Dubs. He pointed out the report from The Athletic and stated that Thompson could have declined the $48 million because of his strained relationship with the Warriors owner Joe Lacob since the exit of Bob Myers. The Athletic‘s Sam Amick said, “It’s clear their relationship has suffered some strain along the way,” in his February feature.

While Steiny made an important observation about the possible reason behind Klay Thompson‘s failed contract agreement, he also offered a solution to help the star stay with the Warriors. The 34-year-old star is currently in the last year of his 5-year contract which offered him an average salary of $38 million per year.

On the other hand, the recent negotiation offered him an average salary of $24 million, only for two years. Of course, Thompson’s shooting percentage (34.3 3P%, 53.7 true shooting percentage) has gone below the NBA average and he isn’t the defender that he used to be before. But, he has definitely shown signs of redemption late in the season.

Considering the factors, Steiny pointed out Draymond Green‘s contract. He recently signed a 4-year contract worth $100 million, offering him $25 million per year. He suggested the team negotiate a similar annual pay for the next three years, to match up with DrayMagic. “It’s a Draymond Green’s essentially 25 25 and then player option. Can you get Klay for three for 75 with that last year being a player option?”

The Klay Thompson redemption

Klay Thompson had one of the disappointing starts to the season, averaging below 15.4 points until the mid-end of February this year. The 4x NBA Champ failed to connect the buckets and left his Splash Brother Stephen Curry stranded. It also forced Steve Kerr to make the bold call to bench the star. Thompson himself complied with the decision, as he said, “I’ve been playing like crap.”

However, the decision switched a button inside him, as he brought back the glimpses of his prime days. Coming off the bench, he scored nearly 20 points per game. Nevertheless, he gained his place back in the starting lineup temporarily due to the absence of Jonathan Kuminga. Despite that he has continued his form, averaging 18.7 points in the last 20 games.

Moreover, the star hasn’t considered coming off the bench disrespectful. Speaking of it to the press, he said, “Never really looked at coming off the bench as a demotion considering I’m still playing 25 to 30 minutes a night…to still be contributing at a high level and playing those type of minutes, you got to be grateful for that.”

Currently, the Dubs are in the 10th seed with four games remaining in the schedule and would look to reach the 6th spot. Do you think Klay Thompson’s timely redemption will help the side?

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