$177 Million Dilemma After Cutting Klay Thompson Loose Will Force Warriors to Get Rid of 1 More Legend

It’s decision-making time in the NBA now that the coveted Finals have concluded. Several teams have already made trades, begun conversations with their stars, and planning for the next season. The Golden State Warriors seem to be taking the patient approach, as no team news has been revealed yet. Notably, Klay Thompson, a franchise icon, is on the path to becoming an unrestricted free agent. The Bay can either offer him an extension or let the 13-year servant of the badge walk away for nothing. With Thompson’s dip in recent years, the Warriors could be enticed to look to replace the sharpshooter with a fresh face. But a singular trade won’t solve that.

At present, the Warriors’ allotted salary cap with all pins intact runs to $177 million. That is without question disregarding Klay Thompson. It is good enough to put them under the first bracket of tax payment. But Governor Joe Lacob isn’t keen on paying enormous sums on tax anymore. Over the past few seasons, the Bay, to retain their championship core, splashed unthinkable amounts of money and barely moved the roster around. Just last season, their total stood at $177 million in tax payments alone.

Now they truly have a chance to not escape the luxury tax for the first time in years and also have enough airspace to add another significant component to the existing roster. According to Bobby Marks, the Warriors will have to offload Chris Paul’s $30 million to attain the advantages of non-taxpayers.

“If Chris Paul comes off, now that goes down to $145 million. Now you have the flexibility to potentially go out and make a trade. The ability to go out and aggregate the contract of Andrew Wiggins. If you put Klay Thompson back in and you put him back over, that goes back up to where you are at the luxury tax,” Marks explained on NBA Today.

Both Paul and Thompson are in the twilight of their career. CP3 recorded a career-low in points over the past season at 9.2 points per game while also seeing less of the floor. On the other hand, Thompson’s meltdown against the King still stays fresh in the Dub Nation’s mind as he showed a stark decline as well. Even then, they are capable of being invaluable complementary pawns that can have a significant say on any chosen day.

It’s now up to the Warriors on whether they want to look for a replacement to fit besides Stephen Curry or trust their forged core once again.

The Warriors have offered a contract to Klay Thompson

By the end of May, The Athletic‘s Anthony Slater was claiming the Warriors and Thompson are yet to have initiated any conversations in regards to his extension. The following weeks were characterized by rampant trade rumors with the Orlando Magic showing genuine interest in signing the ‘Splash Brother’.

However, as per the newest developments reported by Bleacher Report, the Bay has indeed kept a contract on Thompson’s table. The sum of the deal wasn’t disclosed, but Tim MacMahon stated the duration to be two years. Ideally, the 34-year-old was looking for a long-term contract. Despite that, it does reflect the Warriors’ openness to welcome back their elite wing shooter.

Thompson was able to stay productive even though it wasn’t his finest season by any margins. He averaged 17.9 points per game while shooting close to 38% from three. The concerns are prominent regarding his health and his ability to stay fit throughout the season. If judging by the last two years, Thompson has participated in 73 games on average, essentially debunking the anxiety around his fitness.

For more interesting NBA content as such, make sure to watch our conversation with Leonard Armato as he speaks about the Lakers, Shaq, and more in this video below.