Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson reportedly wants a max-level contract extension. The Warriors, though, are unlikely to extend Thompson until after the season when they've had another full year to determine whether Thompson is worth committing the salary cap space to.
With Thompson's stock steadily on the rise, and his agent, Bill Duffy, reportedly is seeking nothing less than a max-level contract extension from Golden State.
Per Sam Amico of USA Today Sports:
"Thompson and the Warriors have until Oct. 31 to agree on an extension that would ensure the 'Splash Brothers,' as he and All-Star point guard Stephen Curry have been dubbed, are in the same pool for years to come. Failing to reach a deal would mean he'll become a restricted free agent next summer, a scenario that Thompson and his agent, Billy Duffy, would prefer to avoid.
"Yet Duffy is widely known to be demanding a maximum contract that the Warriors would prefer not to pay. His reasoning? He sees Thompson as the best shooting guard in the game."
Thompson still under contract for another season - as a restricted free agent - gives Golden State time to decide what to do with him. While Thompson may want an extension now, the Warriors have the luxury of watching him play for another season before deciding whether to commit a large chunk of their future cap space to him.
Agents are always going to seek the biggest contracts for their clients, but it's uncertain whether Thompson would be willing to accept less than the max like Curry did. If Thompson is adamant about receiving a max contract and Golden State is adamant about not giving one, it could precipitate a trade if an amazing offer came along.
"The members of the Warriors front office that are going to be deciding what their offer to Thompson will be, ownership and the recently-extended Bob Myers, ... were a little bit more open to letting him go for Love," Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders wrote Tuesday, referring to the Kevin Love-for-Thompson trade that purportedly almost happened this summer.
My guess: Thompson will be with the Warriors for the long haul on a contract similar to Curry's.
