Golden State Warriors: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Phil Watson
Re-signing Klay Thompson
Despite the perception Klay Thompson had a down year in 2018-19, he still shot the ball extremely well and the Golden State Warriors didn’t blink when it came time to offer a max five-year, $189.9 million deal to re-sign the two-time All-NBA 3-and-D master.
Thompson shot 40.2 percent from 3-point range last season in 7.7 attempts per game, an absurdly good mark to be the second-lowest of his eight-year career. He also averaged 21.5 points per game and received his first All-Defensive selection in 2018-19.
But Thompson’s early return on his max deal will be minimal, as he is expected to miss a significant chunk of next season recovering from a torn ACL sustained in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 13.
When he returns, he could be in a slightly different role. With the addition of D’Angelo Russell, Thompson could be looking at a move from the 2 to the 3 spot, a position vacated by Kevin Durant’s decision to go to the Brooklyn Nets.
Thompson was a low lottery pick (11th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft) and along with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green represent the homegrown core of the Warrior dynasty.
Retaining him was something Golden State had to do and they didn’t blink when the time came.
Grade: A