OAKLAND -- Assuming he doesn’t sign a contract extension in the coming weeks, Klay Thompson will become a free agent next July, no matter how uninterested he is about experiencing the process.
Asked Monday if he was at least “curious” about becoming a free agent for the first time, the Warriors guard said “not really” and followed with elaboration.
“When guys go into free agency, they’re searching for a situation like mine or similar to our team,” the four-time All-Star said.
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“I’m perfectly content here.”
Thompson then glanced about the room, pointing out the various banners hanging at the team's downtown facility. The Warriors have made the playoffs six years running, winning NBA championships in three of the last four seasons.
“Just look around the walls at all the art and to see I was a part of this buildup is what keeps me motivated and keeps me wanting to be a Warrior for my whole career,” he said.
Though Thompson, entering his eighth season, did not rule out the possibility of signing an extension in the coming weeks, that likelihood seems unlikely.
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With Thompson entering the final season of a four-year deal worth $69 million, there has been and will continue to be chatter about his future. Much of it will relate to the Lakers, the team he grew up following and for which his father, Mychal, once played.
Then, too, the legend Jerry West is in an advisory capacity with the Clippers and is known to be huge fan of Thompson. It was West, then with the Warriors, who personally drafted Thompson in 2011 and, four years later, strongly advised against trading him in a deal for Kevin Love.
Yet Thompson has consistently downplayed the likelihood of heading to Los Angeles, or any other NBA market.
Still, he's due for a considerable pay raise, and the Warriors have been clear in stating they are willing to give him one. How much of an increase is the tricky part.
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