Warriors eliminated from postseason: Klay Thompson's free agency headlines crucial offseason for Golden State

Kyle Irving

Warriors eliminated from postseason: Klay Thompson's free agency headlines crucial offseason for Golden State image

Golden State's tumultuous season has come to an end with a blowout loss to the Sacramento Kings in the Play-In Tournament, and now the Warriors look ahead to a crucial offseason.

All-Star guard Stephen Curry proved he still has plenty left in the tank this season, averaging 26.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Entering his age-36 season next year, the Warriors have some pivotal decisions to put the right pieces around Curry to maximize what is left of his time as one of the NBA's best players.

Will they reach a deal with Klay Thompson in free agency? What will they do with Chris Paul's non-guaranteed contract? Is it time to see what's available for some of their up-and-coming young players, such as Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski or Trayce Jackson-Davis?

Those are just a few of the tough questions that Golden State faces to keep the dynasty afloat. The Sporting News breaks down the Warriors' upcoming offseason below.

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Key storyline: Klay Thompson's unrestricted free agency

The Warriors will not face a tougher decision this offseason than Thompson's free agency.

Thompson has, of course, been a major contributor to Golden State's four NBA championships during this dynasty run. He has overcome two major surgeries in the past five years. He has been through a physical, mental and emotional journey to get back to playing at a respectable level this season.

His resiliency to go from a starter to getting benched to playing his best basketball of the season in a reserve role to working his way back into the starting lineup cannot be overstated. But Thompson's 0-for-10 shooting performance in the Warriors' Play-In loss was a reminder that his consistency cannot be leaned on the way it once was.

At 34, Thompson is no longer the All-Star and All-Defensive Team-caliber player he was in his prime, but he is still vitally important to the Warriors' culture and success. He has been there every step of the way since Golden State selected him 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

On April 8, Thompson told Draymond Green that he wants to re-sign with the Warriors this summer, but he added that he's trying to be present in the moment.

"In saying that, when it comes to free agency in July, I just gotta keep that in mind. Like, yes, I want to re-sign with the Dubs, but I also have to prioritize my mental health and lay out what is important to me at this point in my career," Thompson said on "The Draymond Green Show."

"I know we have so much basketball ahead that I haven't given it much thought, really, because if I start thinking about July 1st, then I'm just doing myself a disservice. ... So, for me, it's just about staying present, as simple as that is. Staying present and appreciating being in the NBA."

After the Warriors' season ended Tuesday, many believed their dynasty run did, too. But head coach Steve Kerr, Curry and Green all backed the desire to retain Thompson this offseason.

"We need Klay back. ... He's still got a few good years left and I know I speak for everybody in the organization — we want him back," Kerr stated plainly.

"I can never see myself not with those two guys," Curry added.

"Obviously, we want Klay back. ... I don't think there's any scenario where Klay leaves and that is the best decision for this team and the organization," Green said confidently.

The Athletic's Tim Kawakami published an article revealing that the Magic, who are loaded with young talent but need shooting, are expected to "offer Klay a ton of money" this summer. He called it "one of the worst-kept secrets in the league."

Kawakami added that Warriors owner Joe Lacob has mentioned the Warriors want to get out of the luxury tax this summer, which means they have to be cautious with how much money they pay Thompson (or Paul).

MORE: TSN's Steph Noh shares his expert All-NBA picks

Warriors upcoming free agents

Thompson and Dario Saric are the Warriors' only unrestricted free agents this offseason. They also have three restricted free agents — Usman Garuba, Lester Quinones and Jerome Robinson — but none of that trio were consistent rotation players.

Gary Payton II faces a $9.1 million player option. Golden State has no players with a team option.

Unrestricted Restricted Player option Team option
Dario Saric Usman Garuba Gary Payton II None
Klay Thompson Lester Quinones    
  Jerome Robinson    

Warriors future salaries, roster

Thompson's free agency aside, the Warriors' next top priorities are situating Chris Paul's ($30 million) and Kevon Looney's ($8 million) non-guaranteed deals.

Golden State already has Curry, Green and Wiggins locked up through 2025-26, with a player option for 2026-27 for the latter two.

Player 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28
Stephen Curry $55.8M 59.6M UFA  
Chris Paul $30M (NG) UFA    
Andrew Wiggins $26.3M $28.2M $30.2M (PO) UFA
Draymond Green $24.1M $25.9M $27.7M (PO) UFA
Gary Payton II $9.1M (PO) UFA    
Kevon Looney $8M (NG) UFA    
Jonathan Kuminga $7.6M RFA    
Moses Moody $5.8M RFA    
Brandin Podziemski $3.5M $3.7M (TO) $5.7M (TO) RFA
Trayce Jackson-Davis $1.9M $2.2M (NG) $2.4M (TO) UFA
Gui Santos $1.9M (NG) $2.2M (TO) RFA  

PO = Player option

TO = Team option

NG = Non-guaranteed

UFA = Unrestricted free agent

RFA = Restricted free agent

Warriors 2024 NBA Draft picks

The Warriors' 2024 first-round pick is top-four protected in a trade with the Trail Blazers. As it stands, the selection will be conveyed to Portland barring a shocking development in the lottery.

Golden State's only other pick in 2024 is a second-rounder from the Bucks, which is projected to be No. 53 overall.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.