Bill Simmons Offers Strange Transaction Involving Both Warriors Kings
Bill Simmons Offers Strange Transaction Involving Both Warriors Kings.
Draymond Green’s decision to not exercise his player option for the 2023-24 NBA season has been the focus of the Warriors’ summer, but another important member of Golden State has been included in a recent trade request.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer proposed a strange deal that would send Klay Thompson to the Northern California rival of the Golden State Warriors. Thompson is up for a contract extension this summer.
“What if the Kings called the Warriors and said, ‘We’ll give you [Kevin] Huerter for Klay?'” Simmons said on his show that his listeners might save $27.3 million this year, not including taxes.
We’re so much under the salary cap that a deal for Huerter and the return of Klay is quite possible. We’ll buy out Klay’s last year and discuss an extension with him afterwards.
One of the three Warriors is here; take us seriously. The Sacramento Kings have acquired guard Klay Thompson.
The last year of his five-year, $190 million Warriors contract is upon the four-time champion. But if the Warriors want Green back and make him an offer in free agency, they’ll both have to take a price reduction to stay in the Bay Area.
Plus, Simmons thinks it’s possible thanks to Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé’s connections to the Warriors from when he played for the team.
The Kings needed to make room in their payroll budget, so they traded away their first-round draft selection last week. They’ve cleared nearly $35 million in cap space, giving them room to make a significant splash in free agency.
Huerter, who is now in the second year of a $65 million, four-year contract, will earn $15.6 million that year.
Thompson and Huerter have a reputation for being accurate marksmen. The last time these two teams met was in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs in Northern California, where the Warriors ultimately prevailed.
While Thompson, in his 12th season with the Warriors, averaged 19.8 points on 45.4% field goal shooting and 41.6% 3-point shooting, Hurter, in his first season with the Kings, averaged 12.2 points on 44.4% field goal shooting and 38.5% from 3-point range.
Thompson has expressed his desire to retire as a Warrior, but he recognizes that the NBA ultimately holds the final say. Once free agency begins, things may get out of hand, as seen by Simmons’ trade suggestion.
