Here’s one of the biggest surprises of the 2023-24 NBA season. The Golden State Warriors, one of the best franchises of the past decade, currently has a losing record entering NBA games today. Klay Thompson, one of the team’s cornerstones, is averaging the second-fewest points per game of his pro career.
Thompson, 33, is also having his worst year as a shooter, making just 40 percent of his shots from the floor and 36 percent of his attempts from distance, both career worsts. Overall, it’s not a stretch to say Thompson is having a bad year, especially by his standards as a former All-NBA shooting guard.
But that doesn’t mean teams around the NBA aren’t keeping a close eye on his situation with the Warriors.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, multiple NBA executives have reached out to the Warriors’ front office in an effort to gauge their interest in trading Thompson this season.
“I’ve had four executives from other teams in the last 72 hours ask me, just in spitball and stuff, ‘Would they ever trade Klay Thompson?” And the reason they’re asking is because teams see somewhat of an opportunity there in terms of, ‘Can we get involved in a deal? Would they have to attach an asset to trade Klay Thompson if they want to get meaningful win-now talent with multiple years left on their contract in exchange for Klay Thompson?’”
NBA insider Zach Lowe on possible Klay Thompson trade
As Lowe mentions, teams seem not only interested in seeing if they can get Thompson to return to his elite form but are also curious to see if they could add more value by taking on his expensive contract.
Thompson is in the final season of his five-year, $189 million contract. He’s earning $43.2 million for this season and will be an unrestricted free agent once the NBA year is through. For teams looking to add outside shooting while also getting cap relief during the 2024 offseason, the idea of a Thompson trade may be too good to overlook.
Then again, there’s still no sense the Warriors are ready to move on from their five-time All-Star, who’s also made two All-NBA teams. Lowe even said he’d “bet heavily” against the possibility of the Warriors being interested in trading Thompson now, or ever.
“To be clear, the Warriors do not want to trade Klay Thompson. They have no desire to do it. I would bet heavily against it ever happening.”