Seven Potential Klay Thompson Destinations in NBA Free Agency

Klay Thompson is set to become an unrestricted free agent Sunday for the first time in his career.

The 34-year-old guard has spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors since being selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NBA draft. After 2,481 three-pointers made and four championships in the Bay Area, Thompson enters the open market this summer in search for a home for the last few seasons of his career.

Where will Thompson end up? Here are seven teams that could be calling his name:

The easy answer here, of course, is that Thompson remains the Bay Area and finishes off his Hall of Fame career in a Warriors jersey.

Thompson has said many times that he wants to play his entire career with Golden State. The front office has said the team wants the same, as general manager Mike Dunleavy reiterated Monday that he hopes they can work something out in free agency.

Thompson reportedly wants at least three years on his next contract. Are the Warriors willing to make that commitment to keep the Splash Brothers together in the final chapters of guard Steph Curry’s career? Or are there better moves out there to help the Warriors pursue another title before Curry retires?

Thompson has stated the biggest thing he wants to do over the final years of his career is win. The San Antonio Spurs, who finished last season with the fifth-worst record in the NBA (22–60), might not qualify as a winning team yet, but they’ve got arguably the best young building block in the league.

Center Victor Wembanyama, the top pick in the 2023 NBA draft, was named the unanimous Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and a league-high 3.6 blocks per contest last season. The 7’4″ phenom is already a problem, and the Spurs should compete year in and year out as soon as they surround him with a competitive roster.

San Antonio has plenty of work to do to become a playoff team, much less chase championships, but Thompson hitching his wagon to “Wemby” and legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wouldn’t be his worst move.

The Dallas Mavericks soared through the Western Conference playoff bracket this year to make their first NBA Finals appearance in the Luka Dončić era.

If Thompson signed with the Mavericks, he would provide the team with elite three-point shooting and likely would come off the bench with Dončić and fellow guard Kyrie Irving starting in the backcourt.

Dallas would need to get creative to make it work, however. The Mavericks already projected to operate around the first tax apron next season, and Thompson is expected to make around $20 million next year and beyond on his new contract. A sign-and-trade with Golden State will probably be the route for Dallas to take if Thompson ends up wearing a Mavericks jersey next season.

The Orlando Magic have long been named as a potential landing spot for Thompson if he decides to leave the Warriors. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported last week that there is “mutual interest” between Thompson and the Magic’s front office.

Thompson would make a lot of sense for Orlando. The Magic are a team on the rise, finishing last season fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 47–35 record and falling just short of advancing to the conference semifinals—losing in Game 7 of their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Orlando boasts a young, talented core with their top four scorers last season—forward Paolo Banchero, forward Franz Wagner, guard Jalen Suggs and guard Cole Anthony—all 23 years old or younger.

The Magic need another outside shooter. They finished 26th in the NBA last season with a 35.2% three-point clip and ranked dead last in three-pointers made per game (11.0).

Thompson isn’t quite the same offensive threat he once was, but he still drained 3.5 triples per game last season—which would have led Orlando—and knocked down three-pointers at a 38.7% clip.

Thompson joining the Oklahoma City Thunder probably would have made more sense before the team acquired guard Alex Caruso in a trade with the Chicago Bulls last week, but it’s still worth exploring.

The up-and-coming Thunder look like they’ll be sitting toward the top of the Western Conference for years to come. Oklahoma City snagged the Western Conference’s No. 1 playoff seed on the final day of the 2023-24 regular season with a 57–25 record.

With such a young roster led by guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Jalen Williams and center Chet Holmgren, the Thunder enter this offseason with the fifth-most projected cap space (via Spotrac) in the NBA. They should be able to sign a significant name in free agency to bolster their chances next season.

The Thunder were the best three-point shooting team in the NBA last year (38.9%) but what team couldn’t use another talented outside threat? Plus, Thompson’s veteran presence could be useful in a locker room in which all but three players under contract next season are 24 years old or younger.

The NBA is a league of narratives, and what is a better narrative than Thompson joining the organization that his father, Mychal Thompson, helped win two NBA championships in 1987 and ’88?

Thompson grew up in Los Angeles rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers and dreaming of one day playing at what is now called Crypto.com Arena. Mychal Thompson, 69, currently works as the Lakers’ radio analyst.

Storylines are nice, but the Lakers and Warriors would have to put together a very creative sign-and-trade deal to make it work. Trading away Thompson, one of the greatest players in franchise history who will one day have a statue of himself outside Chase Center, to a division rival doesn’t feel likely.

After failing to advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals yet again, the Philadelphia 76ers enter this offseason as one of the most intriguing teams to watch in the open market.

The 76ers only have three players under contract next season—center Joel Embiid, guard Ricky Council IV and center Paul Reed (guard Tyrese Maxey is a restricted free agent and is expected to sign a max contract extension with Philadelphia this summer).

The 76ers make a lot of sense for Thompson. They are committed to winning now and building a roster around Embiid and Maxey. They also have enough financial flexibility that could make an offer with enough money and years to lure Thompson to Philadelphia.

Watching Thompson splash three-pointers in a 76ers uniform would look strange, but perhaps distancing himself from the Warriors with a competitive team in a different conference is the way to go.