The Warriors front office plans on using the momentum from its third championship in four years to convince stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to sign extensions this summer.
In an interview with Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN, Warriors owner Joe Lacob explicitly stated his desire to lock Thompson and Green into deals for the duration of their primes before they have the chance to test free agency.
Following from ESPN,
“All good things cost a lot,” he said simply. “We’re going to try to sign Klay and Draymond to extensions this summer. They’ve earned the right to do whatever they want; maybe they want to wait until free agency. I can’t control that. But we’ll do whatever we can to keep them.
Thompson’s father, Mychal Thompson, elocuted that his son is committed to his role in Golden State for the foreseeable future but won’t look to sign an extension this summer.
Following from NBC Sports Bay Area,
“I think we’re going to wait until [2019]. Klay is not going anywhere. The Warriors aren’t going to let him leave, so stop being so anxious. He’s going to sign his extension next summer,” the elder Thompson said.
Thompson, 28, has one year left on his current contract worth about $19 million before he can become a free agent in the summer of 2019. If Thompson were to sign an extension this summer, he could potentially save the Warriors upwards of $80 million in salary.
Green has two years of salary, worth north of $36 million, left on his five-year deal. Green will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020.
At this point in the offseason, the Warriors will have a payroll of more than $128 next year, one year after having the second highest salary in the league at $137 million.
