There may be no Disney ending for the Golden State Warriors dynasty.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Wednesday in an appearance on FanDuel TV that Warriors star Klay Thompson is facing further uncertainty over his long-term future with the team. Charania says Golden State gave Thompson an extension offer before the season in the range of two years and $48 million but there was no deal. Both sides will now play out the season before Thompson hits free agency in the summer, Charania adds.
Thompson (along with the Warriors as a whole) is completely in the gutter right now. He has slopped his way to 15.4 points per game (the lowest since his rookie season) and is posting career-worst shooting percentages of 39.7 from the field and 34.3 from deep. Thompson was one of multiple Warriors starters to be benched late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, which the Warriors lost to fall to 10-13 on the year.
Nearing 34 years old with multiple devastating lower-body injuries on his ledger, Thompson has been lashing out this season, perhaps as he senses that Father Time has caught up to him. Golden State must also be careful about overpaying like they did with their last core veteran, so it is looking like a greater and greater possibility that the lifelong Warrior Thompson could end up finishing his career elsewhere.
