Should the Wizards sign Klay Thompson next summer?
By Jay Hanson
This is Klay Thompson’s final year of his contract, in which he is expected to collect $43 million dollars. The Golden State Warriors and Thompson have yet to finalize a contract extension and given that he used to play with Jordan Poole, a fair question to ask is “Could Thompson be a Wizard next year”?
I think the answer to this is a likely “No”; however, it is certainly fun to think about. After all, in DC there’s absolutely no prohibition on splashing at the Poole party.
Jordan Poole needs to take a big step forward
How could Klay Thompson realistically become a Wizard? First, Jordan Poole has to play like he never played before. Poole has to convince the entire world that he is a top-20 player in the league with an upward trajectory. The threshold for him to reach that level is becoming a 50/40/90 player while scoring between 25 to 30 points per game. That probably has no more than a 5% chance of happening.
On top of that, Klay Thompson will have to want to sign for the Washington Wizards. Gone are the days of management willing to pay obscene amounts of money for aged talent. They have shown remarkable discipline in their contract talks. So for Thompson to become a Wizard, he’s going to have to really want it, and that may mean taking a pay cut. The chances of that happening are slim.
If Jordan Poole becomes that 50/40/90 guy and on the off chance that Golden State makes Thompson want to leave the team on principle, then maybe Thompson says he’d rather do his splashing by the Poole instead of by the Bay. There are lots of “ifs”, but not so many that there is a zero percent chance. This is the NBA, and there’s still a guy named Draymond Green employed by Golden State, so anything can happen.
Can the Wizards give Thompson the team he needs?
Klay Thompson presumably would also want to play for a championship contender. So, the only way to convince Klay to come would be to have a star and bench depth to contend. Could the Wizards do that in the offseason? Sure, maybe a 2% chance on the top end. It would be one of the fastest rebuilds in the history of the NBA, but all you need is one superstar to change the trajectory of a team.
The more interesting question is, should the Wizards want Klay Thompson? He will be 34 at the start of his next contract. He’s a good defender but no longer great. However, Thompson is still an elite 3-point shooter, knows how to play with Poole, and has positional size. He’s also a four-time NBA champion and knows a thing or two about winning. The answer to “Should the Wizards be interested in getting Klay Thompson?” is yes. He would fit nicely in their offense as they want to play at a faster pace and shoot lots of threes, and Klay Thompson is a no-brainer choice for that.
A new Big Three in Washington?
Imagine this, Poole, Thompson, and someone like Karl-Anthony Towns as the Wizards Big Three. That would provide a mix of youth with some experience, and plenty of three-point shooting. KAT could be available if the Wolves decide to rebuild and move off his contract which pays him $49 million next year.
It’s nice to think about, but if Poole ends up just being a nice starter and not a top-20 talent, there’s no building around him and the Wizards will have to hope they can land Cooper Flagg in the draft in a couple of years, or trade for a disgruntled star still in his prime.
