There is growing pessimism among fans regarding Klay Thompson’s future, as the veteran sharpshooter unfollowed the Warriors on Instagram and deleted much of his team-related content on Friday.
The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II told KNBR that the respect factor is huge in the 34-year-old’s impending decision, even suggesting that Thompson could leave Golden State for less money elsewhere.
However, the whole notion of respect aligns directly with the financial factor. Will the Warriors be willing to pay more to retain Thompson out of respect for who he is as a big franchise, even if that doesn’t align at all with his on-court value going forward?
The answer is that not being willing to pay more would be a mistake, but not just because of the loyalty aspect. As a team deeply immersed in the luxury tax (and even above the second tax currently), Golden State has no way to adequately replace Thompson if he moves to another team. How exactly would they do it while maintaining the ambition of being contenders next season?
If ownership and management come to the negotiating table with a rigid stance on what they are willing to offer, that is exactly what will alienate Thompson and lead to his departure. Of course, there is a high point they should limit themselves to, but it should be higher than many may consider.
For example, if the Orlando Magic come with a three-year, $81 million offer as Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus proposed, the Warriors should match it, retain the five-time All-Star and continue moving forward in the partnership.
