The NBA offseason has already been one of the busiest in recent memory, and new rumors indicate that a new star could soon be on the trading block — Klay Thompson.
After the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers completed a mega-deal shipping Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas and a load of other talent and draft picks, there has been increasing speculation on other NBA stars who could find a new home. There are seemingly constant rumors that Anthony Davis could be shipped out of New Orleans, talk about when the Knicks will finally pull the trigger on a deal sending off Carmelo Anthony, and now new speculation about the Cavs using the first-round pick they got from the Celtics as trade bait.
Add Klay Thompson’s name to those rumors now. Despite being a critical part of the Warriors run that has included two NBA titles in the last three years, there are steadily growing rumors that Thompson will find himself on a new team in the near future. The All-Star guard’s contract is up in 2019, leading to speculation that the Warriors may try to unload him before the deadline and stock up on younger talent or draft picks to continue building around the remaining core of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green.
As Golden State of Mind noted, the Warriors are amassing a huge payroll and will likely soon have to make a decision about who stays and who goes.
“Then there’s the money – something that’s driving a lot of the rumors. The truth about the salary cap is that it doesn’t stop you from re-signing players, but it does make it mighty expensive when you hit that repeater tax. For the Warriors that’s likely the 2019-20 season, when Thompson would be up for a new contract.”
The report noted that it is more likely that the team dumps Andre Iguodala, who will be 35-years-old by that point and would save the team $90 million in taxes and salary, but Thompson would likely fetch a much higher return.
https://twitter.com/ChatWarriors/status/902654616306946061
Klay Thompson has already been involved in some NBA trade rumors this summer. Before moving forward on the blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly reached out to the Warriors to gauge their interest in swapping Thompson for Kyrie Irving. The Warriors passed on the deal, CBS Sports reported, and Thompson later addressed the trade rumors and said it was “flattering” that he would be sought out.
“It’s really cool,” Thompson said. “It shows the Warriors believe in me and other teams want me to be a part of their success, so I appreciate it.”
Why the Warriors’ most valuable player might be Klay Thompson https://t.co/l7D4MQIDAU pic.twitter.com/Tqp0aGWNDC
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) August 29, 2017
So for the time being, the NBA trade rumors centering in on Klay Thompson appear to be just that — rumors, and nothing more. But the past few years have proven that there is no predicting when a trade will or will not materialize, so expect the speculation regarding Thompson to continue growing as he approaches his contract season.
[Featured Image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
