Magic News: Smooth Sailing on Klay Thompson Pursuit as Warriors’ Bait Falls $25 Million Short of Orlando’s Fortune

Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson’s existing contract is set to expire soon. With no “notable movement” being seen either from the player or the franchise in regards to a contract extension, there is a good chance that he will enter unrestricted free agency. In such a situation, several rival teams can also swoop in and give Thompson a chance to be a part of their inner circle. Amongst the franchises who are most likely to engage in such an action, Orlando Magic seems to have an advantage that could pull the player away from his current team.

Radio hosts Mark Willard and Dan Dibley discussed a potential Klay Thompson exit on the recent episode of ‘95.7 The Game’. Dibley highlighted that if the Warriors choose to not break their golden trio apart, they can still attempt to retain Thompson after he enters free agency. However, given that the shooting guard has already devoted 13 years to the Warriors, retaining him would probably come at a big expense. This is something that the Warriors can’t spend.

“For the Warriors, the right price is probably $14 or 15 million a year for maybe two years,” said Dibley. “That would allow them to undertake the roster retool that they need to do”.

Over the past eight seasons, the Warriors have reportedly often gone above the mandated salary cap. As a result, they have been forced to pay over $687 million in luxury tax over the same period. As February approached, majority owner Joe Lacob had expressed his wish to get the salary cap under control so that the franchise does not drain its coffers in the name of luxury tax. Therefore, the hosts believe that Klay Thompson, who had been paid over $43.219 million during the 2023-24 season, cannot be retained unless he would agree to take less than half of what he was originally getting.

These circumstances can provide Orlando Magic with the perfect chance to take in Thompson. After all, according to reports, they continue to hold on to a $40 million cap space. While pursuing Thompson would prevent Magic from building up a suitable roster around Paolo Banchero & Franz Wagner, they would be given a veteran scorer who can take the franchise to new heights.

Shams Charania believes that the Orlando can benefit greatly from Thompson

Even before rumors spread about the Warriors not choosing to extend Klay Thompson’s contract, there was speculation that he and the Orlando Magic share a mutual interest in working together. This was confirmed about a month ago by renowned NBA reporter Shams Charania. After revealing that the Magic can open up “an excess of sixty million dollars in cap space”, he mentioned that including the Warriors’ shooting guard can help cover up the team’s weaknesses.

“Thompson, along with several other vets around the league, are looking at the Magic as a situation where you plug in a guy like Klay Thompson, plug in another veteran player …. this team can make a real jump around Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, both guys,” said Charania. “You plug in some more shooting and scoring, and I think that’s what can take this Orlando team to another level”.

During the 2023-24 regular season, Klay Thompson had secured an average score of 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He had a field goal percentage of 43.2%, his three-pointer success rate was 38.7%, and his free throw percentage was 92.7%. Moving outside of Stephen Curry’s shadow and into a new team will only help the player improve this impressive score. Whether this new team will be Orlando Magic is a question that will only be answered in due course.

If you wish to know more about the latest happenings in the world of the NBA, be sure to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius.