The Golden State Warriors have a huge offseason coming up following their playoff run.
Klay Thompson is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. As for Kevin Durant, he has a player option on his contract, but is widely expected to enter free agency himself. While both could hit the open market, The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami recently spoke to Warriors owner Joe Lacob about Durant and Thompson, and Lacobs is “confident” about the prospects of re-signing both players.
So I checked with owner Joe Lacob via text on Tuesday afternoon, pointing out that he’s been quite clear about paying what it takes to keep this team together and asking if anything has changed or if his stance is even stronger after the Warriors’ Western Conference triumph.
“The season is still ongoing,” Lacob responded. “We are not finished. I have no new ideas or data for you. We love Klay and KD and intend to attempt to re-sign them. Period. I am confident about BOTH of them.
“But it is their choice to do what is best for them. They have earned that right. Our goal is to keep our team together. We are pretty good.”
The Warriors are in the midst of another playoff run and recently reached the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive season after sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this week. Thompson has been an integral part of that success as he averaged 19.1 points throughout the course of the playoffs.
Durant is currently out on the injured list as he deals with a calf strain that sidelined him for the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. The All-Star forward suffered injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets and has missed the team’s past five games.
Durant didn’t travel with Golden State when they played the final two games of the series in Portland. The New York Knicks have been mentioned as a potential destination for Durant if he decides to leave the Bay Area.
The Warriors also have to decide what they plan to do with versatile Draymond Green, who is eligible for a supermax contract extension this summer. All eyes are certainly going to be on the Warriors when free agency opens.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
