The Golden State Warriors have been getting a lot of stick for wronging Klay Thompson and Shannon Sharpe has now come to their defense. On First Take , Sharpe pointed out that the Warriors already took care of Thompson in 2019 and don't deserve to be criticized now.
"They didn't wrong him," Sharpe said. "Think about what you said. You said it three times, (Kendrick Perkins). Think about what Klay meant. I already paid you for what you meant. Remember I gave you that four-year, $140 million (contract), and two of those years you missed with a ruptured Achilles and an ACL? I paid you for that.
"I offered you two years, $48 million at the beginning of the season. You said no. You bet on yourself," Sharpe continued. "... They don't owe Klay. They paid Klay for that... They haven't wronged him. They paid him a ton of money and they paid him two years on that four years, 140, and he only gave them two years of that.
"So, when he was rehabbing that Achilles, did they take any money back, Perk? That year that he tore his ACL, did they take any money back? Did they wrong him then," Sharpe added.
(starts at 0:21 mark):
I don't think I've ever agreed more with Sharpe. After Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, the Warriors gave him a five-year, $190 million max extension. They did the right thing then by rewarding him for everything he had done, by not asking him to take a pay cut.
The Warriors were universally applauded for it at the time and rightly so. I don't think it's unfair by any means for them to now, ask Thompson to take less money after what they did for him in 2019. If the Warriors had refused to give him a max contract back then, then it would be fair to say they wronged him, but not now.
Thompson only averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in the 2023-24 season. While the five-time All-Star wasn't terrible, he wasn't great by any means either. I wouldn't blame the team for not being willing to break the bank for a 34-year-old who is clearly in decline, especially after taking care of him in 2019.
Related: Klay Thompson Thanks The Warriors For Giving Him A 5-Year, $190 Million Max Contract Despite Him Suffering A Brutal ACL Injury: "Who Pays A Guy After He Injures His ACL? But They Had Faith In Me.”
Richard Jefferson Reveals Klay Thompson Was Mad About The Warriors Not Paying Him
If you were wondering what had been going through Thompson's mind last season, we got the answer thanks to his former teammate Richard Jefferson. On NBA Today , Jefferson revealed a conversation he had with him on Christmas last year.
"I never have shared this before out of respect to Klay," Jefferson said Monday. "Getting off an elevator on Christmas Day... I see Klay, 'Oh, Klay. What's up?' He says, 'What’s up?’ I’m like, 'Hey, man. Keep your mentals right.' He's like, ‘Man, tell them to pay me my money.'"
Jefferson added that he didn't want to hear anything about what the Warriors had paid him over the years as he played his part in turning that franchise around. He felt his former teammate was right to be mad.
I don't think so, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I also believe that Thompson will regret his decision to leave, as the years go by.
The Warriors Were Planning To Bring Klay Thompson Off The Bench Next Season
What might have also upset Thompson apart from the deal that was being offered, was him being relegated to the bench next season. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer , Brandin Podziemski was set to start over him if he re-signed.
"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."
Podziemski averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game as a rookie. He started to come into his own as the season went by and I am not surprised that the Warriors thought the 21-year-old should be a starter in 2024-25. Thompson might have thought otherwise, though.
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