The Golden State Warriors “want to help” outgoing free agent Klay Thompson by organizing a sign-and-trade deal with another team, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
“The Warriors want to help him in a sign-and-trade situation, perhaps to the teams who don’t have the cap space for him, to be able to get a bigger contract,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s SportsCenter (1:45 mark.) “And if the Warriors can get back some assets in that, they’ll be more than happy.
“They’re going to be on the phones (Sunday), trying to help Klay Thompson do that.”
Thompson is hitting free agency after negotiations with the Warriors reportedly stalled over the past two weeks. The 11-season Golden State veteran made $43.2 million last season while at times falling out of the rotation.
Thompson averaged 17.9 points per season while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 38.7 from deep.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported Saturday that the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are expected to pursue the veteran in free agency.
The Clippers are currently $105 million over the soft cap, making them one of the most cap-strapped teams in the league, per Spotrac.
The Lakers and Mavericks are also above the soft cap, potentially limiting what they could offer Thompson in free agency.
Thompson has connections with the Lakers, the team his father Mychael Thompson played for from 1987 to 1991.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported Sunday that his Lakers sources “said to regard Dallas as the team to beat.”
“Despite the obvious pull that the Lakers have…. league sources continued to stress to The Stein Line that — as first reported here Friday — there will be strong mutual interest between Thompson and the Mavericks,” Stein wrote.
The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami agreed with the Stein that the Mavericks are a “strong candidate” for a sign-and-trade deal for Thompson.
Thompson’s effectiveness from behind the arc decreased with the Warriors last season, and The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported last week that talks between team and player had “frozen” as the team prioritized other trade targets over re-signing the veteran, per Stein.
But Thompson’s 11 seasons with the team still included four championship campaigns, and at his peak he was an integral part of the Warriors’ backcourt alongside Stephen Curry. Even if there is no place for him in Golden State in 2024-25, the team may want to help a former key member of the roster— while recouping some assets in return— on Thompson’s way to his next team.