2019 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Klay Thompson: 5 years, $190 million (Golden State Warriors)
Sources: Golden State is planning to offer All-Star Klay Thompson a 5-year, $190M maximum contract when free agency opens Sunday at 6 PM ET --- which is expected to accelerate process of GM Bob Myers and Thompson’s agent, Greg Lawrence, quickly reaching formal agreement.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2019
And, yes, Klay Thompson is getting the five-year, $190 max from Golden State, sources reiterate. A done deal even before today
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2019
Anything less than a full five-year max would’ve felt criminal after the way Klay Thompson — in the middle of a heroic Game 6 performance in the NBA Finals — tore his ACL and tried to play through injury. The Golden State Warriors didn’t just owe it themselves in order to keep the dynasty from collapsing, but they owed it to Klay himself.
The other Splash Brother is arguably the second-best shooter the NBA has ever seen, capable of igniting at a moment’s notice. His floor-spacing and rapid-fire catch-and-shoot ability are intrinsic to the Dubs’ offense, as is his stifling wing defense.
The Warriors are going to miss Klay Thompson until he returns from his ACL rehab in February or March. Until then, at least they can rest easy knowing they did the right thing in locking him down for the next five years and, hopefully, making him a Dub for life.
Grade: A