One franchise stands out as a potential landing spot for Klay Thompson if he leaves the Golden State Warriors in free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus predicts the five-time All-Star will extend his contract before July on a deal for $25-35 million a season in a recent piece looking at the top landing spots for the finest unrestricted free agents next offseason.
It doesn’t feel right for Stephen Curry to play without Klay Thompson. “The Golden State Warriors weren’t very good during the years Thompson was out with severe leg injuries,” Pincus wrote.
If Thompson wants to explore elsewhere, Pincus suggests the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets.
Of those clubs, Philadelphia stands out as the one most likely to win a championship. If the 76ers struggle this season, they will have the option to rebuild their squad around Joel Embiid if they so wish.
The Magic are another intriguing alternative, yet despite their enormous talent, they are still extremely young. They could undoubtedly use Thompson’s shooting ability, but it’s difficult to imagine the 33-year-old relocating from the Bay to Orlando.
There have always been whispers about Thompson joining the Los Angeles Lakers, where his father Mychal won two championships and is now a commentator. However, they are unlikely to have the cap space, and Mychal has reaffirmed that his son is ‘a Dub’ and “ain’t goin nowhere.”
It’s difficult to imagine Thompson playing anyplace other than for the Warriors. Despite some rumblings regarding the difficulty of re-signing the sharpshooter, you would expect sanity to prevail as one of the franchise’s finest ever players and a future hall-of-famer.
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