Things Seem Great In Golden State After Klay Thompson Unfollows The Warriors And Purged His Instagram Of All Warriors Content
Thearon W. Henderson. Getty Images.June in the NBA is weird. On one side, you have the NBA Finals. The biggest stage in the entire league, and what the entire season is for. On the other side, you have 28 other teams well into their offseason, which means for certain players with uncertain futures, it's time to dive into everything they do online to try and predict what might happen next month in free agency.
Enter Klay Thompson. Now an UFA after his 5/189M deal ended this season, Klay's free agency was a storyline this entire season. He's about to enter his age 35 season, he wants a shit ton of money, and it's fair to question what type of investment makes sense given his production and the fact that there are younger/cheaper options available. The Warriors are already talking about cutting costs (Looney), so it's not crazy to think there isn't a fat free agent contract on the horizon for Klay Thompson.
That's the logical way to look at things. But in the NBA offseason, you throw logic out the window in favor of social media speculation
Ah yes, the old unfollow the team move. Classic. Seen it a million times before and we'll see it a million times again. Something that totally happens when a player is thrilled with an organization and there are no issues right? In the NBA specifically, it's usually the kiss of death. If I'm Klay I get it. If this is the breakup, then this is the breakup. May as well nuke your socials of your ex because it's time to turn the page and start a new chapter.
So who is that new chapter? Well I suppose that all depends on what you think Klay at this stage can get on the open market. If you say something like $18M, is that crazy? Mid level money in the 12-14M range? Put it in the teens just to be safe.
Orlando could always use shooting. Anyone who watched that series against the Cavs can tell you that. What if you put Klay next to Wemby? You want to create space for your 7'2 alien? Maybe elite shooting (sometimes) is a decent idea. Same thing with Embiid in Philly. That was supposed to be Buddy Hield, but the Sixers have a ton of money to spend and if they don't get someone like Paul George, they have to pay someone.
But the bigger news here is it looks like the Klay Thompson era in Golden State is coming to an end. I'd say it was pretty successful, even though I could have done with 3 rings and not 4. He's still a HOFer even if things look pretty rough right now, and he'll always be remembered as one of the best shooters the league has ever seen. Now he'll just be adding another jersey to his collection.
