The new TV deal that kicked in with the NBA might work out in favor for Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson. The great debate right now is if the Warriors guard deserves max contract money and now with the new TV deal in the works slated to bring in a ridiculous amount of revenue, Thompson could cash in big time to the tune of 9 figures. A contract that could total $121,667,219 if he stays with Golden State.
Recently Warriors guard/forward Andre Iguodala said he’ll be looking more for Klay and other guys that are in their contract years, to try and possibly prove themselves. Iguodala has three years and $35 million left on his deal with the Warriors, that was after his $80 million Philadelphia 76ers deal and now he wants to see his teammates, specifically Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, get paid. Iguodala, who could be coming off the bench in a point-forward role while Shaun Livingston is out injured is going to feed them the rock any chance he can.
Iggy told Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group the following.
And he’s said it this preseason that he wants to help his friend and Warriors teammate, Klay Thompson, get paid at a time when he’s due for a contract extension.
“Hopefully he’ll continue to realize I should get like 0.1 percent (of his next contract) or something like that,” Iguodala joked earlier this week…
“It’s not just Klay, but I want Steph (Curry) to maximize his career. I want him to get paid as much as possible on and off the court. Draymond Green’s in a contract year, too, so I’m going to be looking to give him a couple extra. He’s going to fill up the basket a little bit more with me on the court with him as well. It’s just about taking care of your teammates, and I learned that early on playing with (Philadelphia 76ers teammates) like Kevin Ollie, playing with guys like Aaron McKie. And then Andre Miller, he was perfect for me. He was a big reason why I got the (six-year, $80 million) deal that I got and why I played at the level I played with when I was in Philly.”
So if Klay is getting the endorsement and support from a respected veteran like Iguodala what does this possibly mean for Thompson? Well if he stays healthy and improves as project, Dan Feldman of NBCSports can see Thompson’s contract hit some numbers of epic perportions.
Klay Thompson – if he’s guaranteed a max contract on his next deal, which we’ll assume for argument’s sake – faces the choice between:
1. $89,138,886
2. $4,433,683 with the prospect later of up to $91,428,795 (if he leaves the Warriors) or $121,667,219 (if he stays)Let’s add one more:
3. $31,702,439 with the prospect later of up to $93,864,774 (if he leaves) or $126,398,700 (if he stays) with $16,897,632 in “insurance” if he can’t get more later
The catch? Plan No. 1 guarantees Thompson the large contract now. Plan No. 2 would in 2016, and Plan No. 3 wouldn’t kick in with the large salary until 2017.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported the following:
One real option, I’m told, is Thompson pursuing an offer sheet from a new team modeled after the loaded three-year contract structure Chandler Parsons scored from Dallas this past summer.
Which is to say that Thompson, were he to pull a Parsons and sign a three-year deal with a player option to return to free agency in Year 2, would be setting himself up to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2017… at the exact same time as Splash Brothers sidekick [Stephen] Curry.
Then here’s a chart breaking down Thompson’s potential money, also from Dan Feldman of NBCSports:
