Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors have indeed agreed to a four-year maximum extension, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. Thompson's new four-year deal will be worth around $70 million and will keep the Splash Bros. intact through the 2016-17 season, when point guard Stephen Curry's deal expires
Klay Thompson signs 4-year, $70 million maximum extension with Warriors
The Warriors relented and gave their shooting guard the maximum contract he desired.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The deal comes after a contentious negotiation, despite the team refusing to relinquish Thompson in a possible trade for Kevin Love. A week before the Friday contract deadline, Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears reported that Thompson's camp was frustrated with Golden State's apprehensiveness in giving the fourth-year shooting guard a maximum extension that would pay close to $16 million annually. The two sides were still several million apart in the hours leading up to the deal.
Thompson’s representatives felt handing him a max deal is a no-brainer, especially with the influx of extra television money giving teams an increased salary cap figure. Eventually, the Warriors agreed, perhaps because the Sacramento Kings made a late push to acquire Thompson by trade, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears.
Thompson’s growth with the USA Basketball squad that won the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup this summer backed his camp’s desires. So did last season, when the shooting guard averaged 18.4 points while hitting a career-high 44.4 percent overall and 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Golden State selected Thompson 11th overall in the 2011 draft and that decision has been a key piece to the team’s recent success. Playing alongside point guard Stephen Curry, Thompson gave the Warriors a career 41 percent three-point shooter and an underrated defensive presence for three years under coach Mark Jackson. With Mark Jackson out and new coach Steve Kerr in, Golden State remains confident in Thompson’s abilities.
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