Klay Thompson Slaps Back Amidst Severed Relationship With Warriors’ Billionaires’ Speculations

It is no secret that Klay Thompson has been struggling this season. He is averaging 17.2 points per game, his fewest since his second season, on a 42.1% shooting efficiency from the floor, the lowest since his rookie year. Amid the inconsistent performances, the question of his future with the Warriors looms large. While he successfully dodged the trade deadline scare, he has yet to receive an extension that would keep him on the team beyond the offseason. It has not helped that he is the only one from the Warriors’ championship core who has yet to finalize a deal with the Golden State.

Even Steve Kerr signed a two-year extension that aligns with Stephen Curry‘s contract through the 2025-26 season earlier this week. And his statements after signing the extension did not help ease Klay’s nerves about his own extension. “We have an era that’s winding down and another that’s coming. We’re trying to make them merge and make the most of that,” said Kerr.

It was earlier reported that the Warriors offered Klay Thompson a two-year, $48 million contract extension before the 2023-24 season. This was a far cry from the four-year, $223 million maximum contract extension that he is eligible for. And as per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, those numbers are now considered “unrealistic.” However, Klay understands that now that he has reached the tail-end of his career, nothing is guaranteed, but he chooses to maintain a positive outlook, regardless of the eventual outcome. “Whether I’m wearing a Dubs uniform or another uniform, I’m going to be myself. I’m going to be KT,” said Thompson one day before the trade deadline.

Klay Thompson’s relationship with the Warriors’ owner has “suffered a strain”

Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob has publicly expressed his desire to keep Thompson on the team, telling The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami earlier this month, “I’d like to have him retire as a Warrior, that’s the bottom line.” But there has been no movement since. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that league sources say Thompson “has received no assurances from on high that his hopes of retiring happily in a Warriors jersey someday will be a shared priority this summer,” leading to a strained relationship between the Warriors star and Joe Lacob.

Lacob’s desire for the Warriors to at least dip below the second luxury tax threshold, if not out of the tax entirely, has been another stumbling block in Klay’s pursuit of extension.

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