GOOD NEWS: Warriors Are Bringing Him Back….
Is there a reason to believe that the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant are bound to reunite in the offseason? Durant reached the high point of his career with the Dubs in the latter half of the 2010s when he won two NBA titles with the team before going to the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns in search for another ring.
He’s still to accomplish that mission, which contributes to the rumors that he could potentially team up again with Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report recently floated a huge trade proposition that sends Durant back to the Warriors via a trade from the Phoenix Suns . Under that scenario, the Suns will receive Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in exchange for arguably the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA.
The Suns will push for an additional 2027 first-round pick, the only other one the Warriors can include, assuming this deal goes down on draft night. Meanwhile, the Dubs will try to swap in someone like Brandin Podziemski for Kuminga, whom the organization has labeled untouchable.
In addition to those negotiating sticking points, Golden State is still taking on about $3 million more in salary than is allowed—and that’s assuming it doesn’t include Kevon Looney’s non-guaranteed $8 million salary for 2024-25.
Put all those hangups aside and consider, though, that the Warriors are one of very few teams more tied to an immediate win-now timeline than the Suns. Stephen Curry has two more years on his deal, and it seems clear the organization is committed to surrounding him with a competitive team. Durant will turn 36 before next season starts and comes with health risks, but he’s probably the more valuable short-term contributor than Kuminga, Wiggins or Moody.
The Suns are co
The Los Angeles Lakers appear set to take some big swings this offseason. While the team has been linked to big-name trade targets like Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell, they could look to an unrestricted free agent.
Klay Thompson has been linked to the Lakers for years due to the fact that his father Mychal Thompson played for the team and he was born in Los Angeles. However, the Golden State Warriors have been so good to Thompson that there was no reason for him to ever leave.
The Warriors missed the playoffs this season and might not be keen on signing Thompson to another big contract. That could open the door for him to finally join the Lakers. That’s something that rapper and Los Angeles icon Snoop Dogg wants to see.
ming off a season that started with immense promise and ended in a disaster. Plenty of questions now surround the Suns, who are also entering a new era, with Mike Budenholzer hired as Frank Vogel’s successor. Trading Durant would be a huge undertaking for the Suns, but that would also alleviate their expensive payroll and get Phoenix younger assets to build on for the future.
In three seasons with the Warriors, the former league Most Valuable Player averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists through 208 games.
“I’m hopeful that we can get us a Klay Thompson. His dad is Mychal, he works for the Lakers, it’s an easy transit down the road,” Dogg on the May 10 episode of the “Stephen A. Smith Show.”
Thompson’s 34 and already has four championship rings so the idea of returning home and playing for his dad’s old team could be exciting. That said, he’d likely have to take a discount.
Another reason why Thompson has commonly been linked to the Lakers is that he’s a really great fit with LeBron James. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to score a lot of points and has consistently been one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA – only having two seasons where he shot less than 40% from beyond the arc.
Thompson has dealt with some rough injury issues in recent years and it has affected his play. He only averaged 17.9 points a game last season, which was his lowest average since the 2012-12 season. He’s also not nearly the defender he once was.
Regardless, he’d likely still be a fit with the Lakers. The team hasn’t been great at shooting 3-pointers the last several seasons and he’d help provide them with more spacing. He’d also likely be an upgrade on defense over Austin Reaves. If the price is right, Thompson would be a strong addition to Los Angeles.
How Much Money Is Klay Thompson Looking For?
Even though he’s 34 and on the decline, Thompson appears to still be looking for a relatively major payday. Shams Charania and Zach Harper of The Athletic reported in last December that the Warriors offered him a contract in the two-year, $48 million range last offseason. He turned it down. Thompson’s last contract paid him $189.9 million over five seasons so that would’ve been a big pay cut.
Thompson could have lower expectations for a contract after a lackluster season but it’s unlikely he’ll be willing to take less than the $48 million over two years the Warriors reportedly offered. That seems like a fair price for him based on his current level of play.
