NBA insider believes Klay Thompson’s contract situation is directly affecting his performances

Ever since the start of the 2023/24 NBA season, we’ve witnessed Klay Thompson struggling to make his usual impact for Golden State. It seems clearer as each game goes by that his difficulty to be effective is starting to frustrate him, especially as the team has been playing poorly in recent matches. 

Even though it has almost become a trend to see the shooting guard start of campaigns on the wrong foot, and eventually find his best version throughout the competition, he isn’t showing too many signs of improvement yet.

While the Warriors hold a 8-9 record in the West, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews seems to know the reasons behind Klay’s struggles. “But Thompson’s slump to start this season feels different. His contract negotiations are weighing on him, sources told ESPN, and he appears to be noticeably more frustrated during games. He sometimes sits on the end of the bench by himself during timeouts, or slaps his head after taking a bad shot,” she said.

“I used to stare into the mirror shirtless with 4 fingers up trying to look mean before games just to get psyched up. But that shi** don’t work anymore.”

– Klay Thompson

(Via @NBCSWarriors) pic.twitter.com/v6oqZbaKeQ

— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) November 29, 2023

The four-time champion is playing the final season out of his five-year, $189 million contract. Up to this point, all we know is that his talks regarding extension deals have stalled, even though he told the press in October that he wishes to remain with the Bay Area franchise.

“I think it’s possible, and if not, life is still great,” Thompson said. “I’m playing basketball in my 13th year in the NBA, so I have no complaints, whatever the future has in store. I’ve done so many great things in this uniform. I know there’s many more memories to create, so whatever happens, life is great.”

Despite his slow start to the campaign, the Warriors guard still believes he’s got what it takes to remain a starter for his squad. “You want [head coach Steve Kerr] to bench me? To bench Wiggs?” Thompson told the press when they doubted his coach’s trust in him.

“You earn these things like patience and time to find yourself. History is on our side when it comes to that stuff,” he added.

Draymond Green backed his teammate as he gets ready to rejoin the Warriors this week

Now that Draymond Green’s suspension has come to an end, he addressed the media and backed his teammates after their difficult start of the campaign.

“They both got off to slower starts than they’re accustomed to getting off to. I think you look at the last two or three games and they’re both playing a lot better, making more shots, being more aggressive, being more decisive,” Green assured. “Wiggs and Klay are two guys in this league that have proven to be 20-point or higher scorers, pretty much their entire careers.”

According to the Warriors’ starting power forward, the team works better when they all play as a whole. When Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are distributing the ball and leading plays, the entire squad is more effective.

“They’re both great players and you look at the last two or three games and they’re starting to turn the corner. … When you’ve seen guys like that year in and year out, you can hang your hat on and believe that the two or three (good games in a row) is turning a corner and not just a fluke,” he concluded.