Report: Warriors Preparing to Lose Klay Thompson in Free Agency

Thompson won four championships in 13 seasons with Golden State.

Apr 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates after a three-point shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors are preparing to lose Klay Thompson, ending an era for the franchise.

On Saturday, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported Golden State is resigned to the fact that Thompson will depart in free agency. After 13 seasons as a member of the Warriors, Thompson is ready to move on.

From the report:

Thompson and the Warriors have had close to no communication since the negotiating period opened for incumbent free agents nearly two weeks ago and no offer has been made, team and league sources said. The Warriors, after other business, have wanted to circle back and negotiate with Thompson. But he isn’t expected to be there waiting as a willing secondary priority in their summer plan, with his side feeling that the Warriors’ interest in a reunion has been disingenuous. The five-time All-Star guard is determined to find a new home elsewhere for his 14th NBA season and beyond, with both sides believing their 13-year run together is over, league sources said.

The fact that the two sides haven't talked since the negotiating period began is legitimately shocking. Thompson has been a cornerstone of four NBA championship teams and is a five-time All-Star. Along with Stephen Curry, he helped create arguably the best shooting backcourt in NBA history, a pairing that weaponized the three-point line and helped start a shooting revolution in basketball.

Along with Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr, Thompson was part of the foursome most responsible for the Warriors' dynasty. It appears he will be the first to depart the franchise. Golden State selected him with the 11th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and he has never played for another franchise.

Thompson finished the final season of a five-year, $189.9 million deal and made $43.2 million during the 2023-24 campaign. This season was statistically his worst since his second year in the league. He averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. He also shot a near career-low 38.7% from three-point range.

Given the fact that they hadn't been talking, it's a safe assumption Thompson and the Warriors were far off on contract numbers. Both sides likely knew this was coming.