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In one respect, Klay Thompson’s departure from the Golden State Warriors — now that the legendary shooter has agreed in principle to join Dallas on a three-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks, league sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports — began last offseason, when the Warriors and Thompson could not agree on a contract extension. Golden State offered Thompson a two-year deal, sources said, in the ballpark of $50 million of total value that was roughly half of the four-year, $100 million commitment the Warriors handed Draymond Green in free agency.
That difference in valuations for the second and third members of a storied trio — who supported Stephen Curry to four championships from 2015-22 — started shifting both franchise and player down the path that ended with Thompson exiting stage left. This past year of streaky shooting certainly was an added factor in this breakup. Flashing forward, if Thompson had returned to Golden State, the Warriors planned to bring Thompson off the bench behind sophomore guard Brandin Podziemski, sources said, after Golden State started its prized rookie for a good stretch during the second half of last season.
Klay Thompson’s decision affected a number of teams. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Thompson’s decision will have ripple effects across the league, where much of the mid-level market is full of wings who were waiting for Paul George, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Thompson to slide off the board before determining their own landing spots. The Lakers, sources said, still hold an affinity for veteran scorer DeMar DeRozan after Los Angeles finished as the runner-up for Thompson. The Lakers were aware that, thanks to the $16 million traded player exception Dallas created by moving Tim Hardaway Jr. to Detroit, this three-year, $50 million mark for Thompson was what they had to compete against.
The biggest domino from Thompson’s outcome, however, could very well be the future of All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. Golden State has tried to maximize its optionality this summer by chasing the biggest fish who are feasibly available for the taking. First, the Warriors moved back…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-free-agency-2024-the-market-impact-of-klay-thompsons-move-to-dallas-211356528.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-07-01 21:13:56
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