Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson produced another subpar performance during the team's third consecutive loss, a 116-110 defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, November 12, at their home court at the Chase Center.
The 33-year-old scored 16 points, adding five rebounds and three assists. While Thompson emerged as the team's second-highest scorer, his shooting performance was awful, as he managed to convert only 5-of-16 from the field and a mere 3-of-10 from three-point distance.
This showing follows another rough shooting night for the four-time NBA champion against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, where he also shot 5-of-16 from the field for 14 points.
"Like I said before I'll be much better tomorrow, playing with more energy. And, individually, my worst performance of this young season so far. So, I'm eager to have a nice bounce-back game tomorrow," Thompson said after the game against the Cavs.
Despite vowing to bounce back on Sunday, he wasn't able to fulfill that promise.
Warriors star Stephen Curry has been carrying the load for the Bay Area team all season, scoring 30 points or more in all of the Dubs' games this season, while among the whole team, only Dario Saric has breached past the 20-point mark.
The Warriors find themselves in dire need of a backup scoring option, with both Thompson and forward Andrew Wiggins, who were expected to fill that role, struggling to meet the team's scoring demands.
"No question, we need some scoring and some playmaking elsewhere," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the Wolves game.
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Klay Thompson contract negotiations
A hot topic during the past offseason is the contract negotiations between Thompson and the Warriors, which remain in the air.
The sharpshooter is entering the final year of his current contract with the Dubs, where he is slated to earn $43,219,440 for the 2023-24 NBA season, per HoopsHype.
With his veteran teammates, Curry and Draymond Green, locked into long-term deals, Thompson remains the odd man among the team's distinguished core.
Various sources indicate that extension talks between Thompson and the Warriors have hit a dead point.
There seems to be a "significant gap" between the desired years and financial terms of the extension, with Thompson seeking considerably more than what the Warriors have proposed.
Should the Warriors trade Klay Thompson?
With negotiations between the two sides reaching a standstill, Golden State is considering letting Thompson become a free agent next summer.
However, they could be withholding themselves of some assets in return instead of dealing the five-time NBA All-Star within the season via a trade.
The Warriors also strategically focused on staying below the second tax apron next summer under the new CBA, imposing limitations on the amount of future financial commitments they are currently willing to make.
The team successfully retained Andrew Wiggins in a deal worth $27.2 million annually in 2022 and Draymond Green in an extension worth $25 million per year this past summer. Both pacts are objectively deemed as reasonable on par with their production.
The team is ideally looking for Thompson to agree to a similar range, which would entail a pay cut from his current annual average of $37,980,720.
However, if an agreement proves impossible for both sides, the most viable course of action could be exploring a trade.
In this scenario, the Warriors could actively pursue a team willing to meet the financial and length terms of Thompson's contract demands.
In return, the Dubs could acquire a potent scoring threat that can assist in addressing the team's existing challenges.
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