Leaving his 13-year legacy in Golden State behind, Klay Thompson is ready to embark on a new journey. As part of a multi-team sign and trade, he will join the Mavericks on a three-year $50 million deal. While the duration of the deal is closer to what Klay was looking for, his new salary is far less than his previous $190 million contract. But he could have earned nearly $17-$18 million more because of a clause in his max contract had the Warriors not waited for his deal to run out and traded him while he was still under contract.

When KT signed his 5-year max contract back in 2019, the Warriors also gave him a 15% trade kicker, which is the maximum any team can offer a player. In case a team trades a player in the middle of their contract, the set trade kicker is awarded to the player as a bonus by the team that trades him. Usually offered to the biggest stars on a team, a trade kicker is basically a team’s way to show how confident they are in a player and do not wish to trade him for the foreseeable future, as it would cost them added money.

But Klay’s situation was rather unusual because when he signed the contract, he was dealing with a career-altering ACL injury he suffered during the 2019 finals. Moreover, the situation got even worse as Klay soon tore his Achilles during a pickup game, putting him out of action for the first two years of his max contract. Spending their money on a non-playable superstar for two seasons, the Warriors could have traded Klay the following year, giving him an extra 18 million in trade kicker for the remaining 3 years of his deal.

But what made the Warriors stick with Klay despite him missing over two years of action?

Why did the Warriors not trade Klay Thompson earlier?

Although it was never made public by the Warriors, there could be multiple deciding factors for them to not let go of Klay earlier. Firstly, they would not have gotten much in return for Klay had they traded him after his two missed seasons, because no team would have given up a lot for an injured superstar with no guarantee of staying fit.

Moreover, trading Klay while he was dealing with such major injuries would have brought a lot of heat toward the Warriors’ front office because the sharp-shooter is a franchise legend and one of the major contributors in turning the Warriors into a dynasty. So, it didn’t make sense for the front office to give up their superstar while also bearing the cost of his trade kicker.

But arguably, the best time for the Warriors to trade Klay would have been right after they won the Championship two years ago. Averaging 17 points in the finals and winning his 4th ring, Klay’s market value at the time was the highest it had been since he signed the max contract. And with two years left on his deal, the Warriors would have gotten the best return for him that year. Then, they would have had to pay him an extra $12.5 million as a trade kicker.

However, they probably believed that they could run it back with this crew and win another title.

Most importantly, it was nearly impossible to trade Klay against his will because he has been the core of the franchise for so many years. So, the Warriors probably had no option other than to wait for Klay’s deal to end and see what happens after.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.