When the Los Angeles Lakers signed LeBron James in 2018 NBA free agency, it was touted as the first step of a two-year plan. The front office was looking ahead to 2019, which was expected to include Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson, among others.
Their grand vision of pairing James with another All-Star player was met with plenty of pushback, particularly as it pertained to Thompson. Every indication from the Golden State Warriors was they would re-sign him to a max contract.
Thompson, along with his father Mychal Thompson, also regularly stated an expectation to remain with Golden State. Thompson’s ACL tear in the 2019 NBA Finals brought about some questions regarding his future, but they have been quickly squashed.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Thompson agreed to re-sign with the Warriors on a five-year, $190 million deal:
Golden State All-Star Klay Thompson's new five-year, $190M contract includes a 15 percent trade kicker, agent Greg Lawrence tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
The deal essentially is a step forward in Thompson achieving his goal of spending the entirety of his career with the Warriors. Owner Joe Lacob certainly would welcome that, as he has been consistent in his praise of Thompson.
While the Warriors are keeping one of their key members, the team still faces plenty of questions heading into the 2019-20 NBA season. As it is, Thompson may not return from his torn ACL until early 2020.
Had the Warriors not presented Thompson with a max contract offer, it was believed he would have pursued free agency meetings with the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.
