Klay Thompson may have just played his last Warriors game — here’s what might come next for the team legend

It is considerably becoming that the Sacramento Kings, particularly, had been the crew to knock the Golden State Warriors out of the 2024 postseason. For the majority of their decade-long dynasty, the Kings had been Golden State’s doormat. The Warriors went 23-7 in opposition to their neighbors to the north between the 2014-15 and 2021-22 seasons. The Kings by no means reached the playoffs in that span. They lastly did a season in the past, and so they pushed the Warriors to the brink in a seven-game warfare. Golden State simply barely survived. This time, within the Play-In Match, they weren’t so fortunate.

Life comes at you quick within the NBA. Dynasties by no means reside fairly so long as you hope, and their deaths are sometimes swifter and extra brutal than you may probably think about. The Warriors lasted lengthy sufficient for even the lowly Kings to catch as much as them. Now, they’re on the finish of their contending cycle, and for maybe the primary time on this total run, the dynasty is really susceptible to ending, not as a result of the Warriors won’t ever contend once more, however as a result of the holy trinity of superstars that made it doable might lastly break up.

Klay Thompson is ready to turn into a free agent this offseason. For the majority of Golden State’s tenure atop the league, the considered a Splash Brother ever waiving goodbye appeared unattainable. However issues have modified. Thompson is now not a famous person. He went scoreless in Tuesday’s season-ending loss and simply averaged beneath 20 factors per sport for the primary time since 2014. For a stretch earlier within the season, he wasn’t even a starter. He ceded that place to rookie Brandin Podziemski earlier than in the end claiming the spot again in a while. Golden State reportedly provided Thompson a two-year, $48 million extension final offseason. It is exhausting to think about them going a lot larger with Podziemski ready within the wings to interchange him. Thompson has mentioned he is open to a smaller function if it means staying with Golden State. A smaller function and a smaller deal aren’t essentially the identical issues.

Thompson clearly will not command one other max contract in his present state, however the market is breaking proper for him to get a big chunk of change. Grayson Allen simply re-upped in Phoenix for $70 million over 4 years, establishing a marketplace for shooters within the $20 million per yr vary. Eradicating Allen from the market additionally offers Thompson much less competitors in free company. Malik Monk’s damage may do the identical. With out one other sturdy playoff efficiency, he seems considerably likelier to re-sign in Sacramento utilizing Early Fowl Rights.

Seven groups are at the moment $20 million or extra in cap house this offseason. Most of them may use taking pictures. If Monk does certainly keep put, Thompson turns into the apparent goal for anybody in search of an offensive jolt. The Orlando Magic have already been linked to him.

The match is apparent. The Magic have pathways to over $45 million in cap house. They ranked twenty ninth in 3-point makes an attempt and twenty second in offense this season, however their No. 3-ranked protection is greater than outfitted to cowl for his age-related deficiencies on that finish of the ground. The Magic are about to start their first playoff run of this period. Expertise might be very important as they try and make the leap from playoff crew to real contender. Thompson presents loads of it.

Fred VanVleet set one thing of a mannequin for this type of free-agency pursuit final offseason when he landed what was functionally a two-year max cope with the Houston Rockets. That contract bought the Rockets the short-term assist they wanted with out exposing them to long-term threat, successfully setting VanVleet up as a bridge level guard till Amen Thompson would hopefully be prepared to interchange him. Orlando, with loads of younger guards within the pipeline and the commerce property to land extra later, could also be eyeing an identical path. The Magic would not go to the max for Klay, however their cap house offers them room to supply a shorter deal at the next quick cap determine that may make matching a deal significantly painful for Golden State. 

The Warriors have racked up almost $628 million in estimated luxurious tax payments alone over the previous 4 seasons, in keeping with Spotrac. That strategy is not sustainable irrespective of how a lot income Golden State’s fancy new area generates. Proprietor Joe Lacob has mentioned brazenly that his most popular plan for subsequent season could be to keep away from the posh tax solely.

Is that possible? Nicely, perhaps, however maybe not sustainably. The projected tax line for subsequent season is $172 million. At current, the Warriors have solely $134 million or so dedicated in wage for subsequent season. Nevertheless, that solely accounts for eight gamers, not together with the upcoming free agent Thompson or Chris Paul, Kevon Looney and Gui Santos, whose offers will not be assured. The Warriors may conceivably fill out the roster whereas retaining Thompson and probably Paul whereas staying beneath the road, however it’s exhausting to think about them bettering in any important manner whereas doing so.

Extra importantly, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody turn into extension-eligible this offseason. Kuminga’s extension alone is more likely to vault Golden State’s payroll again up into the stratosphere. That makes guaranteeing Thompson any long-term cash probably unattainable. With each incomes high-end salaries within the 2025-26 season couple with present contracts for Stephen Curry, Draymond Inexperienced and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors could be proper again in repeater tax territory. Good luck discovering a commerce taker for Wiggins after the season he simply had or Inexperienced given his disciplinary points.

In the end it is simply cash. Joe Lacob has a whole lot of it. The Warriors earn lots due to the Chase Heart. In the event that they wish to pay Thompson what it takes to carry him again, they may in all probability discover a manner. Wouldn’t it be worthwhile for a crew that simply completed No. 10 within the Western Convention?

Head coach Steve Kerr was a part of a dynasty in Chicago. He noticed it finish after the 1998 championship, and the perpetrator was the identical one that may seemingly carry down the Warriors. “I feel in the end the explanation the Bulls had been damaged aside was that everybody’s contract led to 1998,” Kerr mentioned in a 2005 episode of ESPN Basic’s High 5 Causes You Cannot Blame… which centered across the finish of Chicago’s dynasty. “I feel it was unrealistic to count on the crew to abruptly simply say, ‘certain, we’ll put collectively a $100 million payroll and attempt to win yet another championship.'”

If yet another championship had been on the desk for Golden State, such a payroll (adjusted for inflation, in fact) is likely to be a worthwhile threat. It simply does not appear to be there are any extra championships left to be squeezed out of this group. Now that even the Kings have outgrown the Warriors, the fact of the dynasty ending might lastly set in. There’s a good likelihood Thompson simply performed his final sport as a Warrior, however whether or not he has or hasn’t, the tip of this legendary run is close to.