Klay Thompson is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday for the first time in his career.
The 34-year-old guard has spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors since being selected 11th overall in the 2011 NBA draft. After 2,481 three-pointers and four championships in the Bay Area, Thompson enters the open market this summer looking for a home for the final seasons of his career.
Where will Thompson end up? Here are seven teams that could call his name:
The simple answer here, of course, is that Thompson stays the Bay Area and finishes his Hall of Fame career in a Warriors jersey.
Thompson has repeatedly said he wants to play his entire career with Golden State. The front office said the team wants the same thing, while general manager Mike Dunleavy reiterated Monday that he hopes they can find a solution in free agency.
Thompson would like at least three years on his next contract. Are the Warriors willing to make that commitment to keep the Splash Brothers together in the final chapters of guard Steph Curry’s career? Or are there better solutions to help the Warriors chase another title before Curry retires?
Thompson said the biggest thing he wanted to do in the final years of his career was win. The San Antonio Spurs, who finished last season with the NBA’s fifth-worst record (22-60), may not qualify as a winning team yet, but they have arguably the best young core in the league.
Center Victor Wembanyama, the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was unanimously named Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and a league-high 3.6 blocks per game the last season. The 7’4” phenom is already a problem, and the Spurs should compete year in and year out once they surround him with a competitive team.
San Antonio has a lot of work to do to become a playoff team, let alone championships, but Thompson hitching his wagon to “Wemby” and legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wouldn’t be his worst decision.
The Dallas Mavericks climbed into the Western Conference playoff bracket this year to make their first NBA Finals appearance in the Luka Dončić era.
If Thompson were to sign with the Mavericks, he would provide the team with elite three-point shooting and would likely come off the bench with Dončić and fellow forward Kyrie Irving starting in the backcourt.
Dallas will have to get creative to make this work, however. The Mavericks were already planning to operate around the first fiscal apron next season, and Thompson is expected to make around $20 million next year and beyond with his new contract. A sign-and-trade with Golden State will likely be the way forward for Dallas if Thompson ends up wearing a Mavericks jersey next season.
The Orlando Magic have long been pointed to as a potential landing spot for Thompson if he decides to leave the Warriors. Athleticism Anthony Slater reported last week that there was “mutual interest” between Thompson and the Magic front office.
Thompson would make a lot of sense for Orlando. The Magic are a team on the rise, finishing last season fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 record and just missing making the conference semifinals – losing in Game 7 of their series against the Cavaliers from Cleveland. Orlando has a young, talented core with its top four scorers last season: forward Paolo Banchero, forward Franz Wagner, guard Jalen Suggs and guard Cole Anthony, all 23 or younger.
The Magic need another outside shooter. They finished 26th in the NBA last season with a 35.2% three-point rate and ranked dead last in three-pointers made per game (11.0).
Thompson isn’t quite the same offensive threat he once was, but he still made 3.5 triples per game last season — which would have led Orlando — and made three-pointers with a rate of 38.7%.
Thompson joining the Oklahoma City Thunder probably would have made more sense before the team acquired guard Alex Caruso in a trade with the Chicago Bulls last week, but it’s still worth exploring.
The up-and-coming Thunder appears to be sitting atop the Western Conference for years to come. Oklahoma City clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs on the final day of the 2023-24 regular season with a 57-25 record.
With such a young roster led by point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Jalen Williams and center Chet Holmgren, the Thunder enter this offseason with the fifth-largest projected salary cap space (via Spotrac) in the NBA. They should be able to sign an important name in free agency to strengthen their chances next season.
The Thunder were the best three-point shooting team in the NBA last year (38.9%), but what team couldn’t use another talented outside threat? Additionally, Thompson’s veteran presence could be helpful in a locker room in which all but three of the players under contract next season are 24 or younger.
The NBA is a league of stories, and what better story than that of Thompson joining the organization that his father, Mychal Thompson, helped win two NBA championships in 1987 and 1988?
Thompson grew up in Los Angeles supporting the Los Angeles Lakers and dreamed of one day playing in what is now Crypto.com Arena. Mychal Thompson, 69, currently works as a radio analyst for the Lakers.
The storylines are cool, but the Lakers and Warriors would have to make a very creative sign-and-trade deal to make it work. Trading Thompson, one of the greatest players in franchise history who will one day have a statue of himself outside Chase Center, for a division rival doesn’t seem likely.
After once again failing to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers enter this offseason as one of the most intriguing teams to watch on the open market.
The 76ers have just three players under contract next season: center Joel Embiid, guard Ricky Council IV and center Paul Reed (guard Tyrese Maxey is a restricted free agent and is expected to sign a max contract extension with Philadelphia this summer).
The 76ers make a lot of sense for Thompson. They are determined to win now and build a roster around Embiid and Maxey. They also have enough financial flexibility that they could make an offer with enough money and years to lure Thompson to Philadelphia.
Watching Thompson score three points in a 76ers uniform would seem odd, but maybe distancing himself from the Warriors with a competitive team in a different conference is the way to go.