NBA
Klay Thompson’s disappointing 2023 playoff campaign could put his contract extension talks in jeopardy
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated19 May 2023
After winning the 2022 NBA championship, the Golden State Warriors could not repeat in 2023. The Warriors were bounced by the Lakers in six games during the second round. Steph Curry led the game this postseason with (30.5) points per game. His longtime teammate Klay Thompson had a rough 2023 playoff campaign. So much so that it could put his contract extension talks in jeopardy.
Klay Thompson is still one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history. He ranks 19th all-time in the NBA with a career (.416) three-point percentage. The 33-year-old missed two full seasons in a row from 2019-2021. Just this season he started to look like himself again and was able to play in 69 of the Warriors’ 82 regular season games.
He still has one-year, $43.2 million on a max-contract extension he signed back in 2019. Thompson’s value started to decrease near the end of the 2023 postseason. Golden State is still occupied with trying to sign Draymond Green to an extension as well.
“Why should Klay Thompson take a pay cut? Let's be honest here, why should Klay take one? He doesn't have to. There's teams around the league that would actually give him a bag that he deserves and rightfully so.”
– Kendrick Perkins
(h/t @NBCSWarriors ) pic.twitter.com/Xsue5VuOKe
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 17, 2023
Klay Thompson’s end to the 2023 postseason did not sit well with Warriors fans
During the 2023 postseason, Klay Thompson played in all 13 games and averaged (18.5) points per game. His three-point percentage was down to (.368) percent this postseason. Throughout his playoff career with the Warriors, Thompson averages a (.405) three-point percentage. His shooting was off this postseason, especially in the final four games of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
In Golden State’s first nine playoff games, he scored 20+ points seven times. He even had 30 points performance in Game 2 vs the Lakers. His last four games saw scoring outputs of 15, 9, 10, and eight points. In Game 6 where the Warriors were eliminated, Thompson was 3-19 from the field.
Thompson still is under contract with the Warriors for the 2023-24 season. However, the 33-year-old SG would love to sign another long-term extension. The Warriors will need to weigh their options this offseason and see what they can do for Klay, one of the franchise’s greatest players of all time.
