It was not a surprise that Klay Thompson casually told Marcus Thompson II and me recently that he probably could take a little less money in July 2019 if that would help the Warriors keep this run going and going.
This is the way the Warriors think and succeed in this bountiful era — the players, coaches and executives all know exactly how rare this is and how important it is for all of them to do what they can to ensure it lasts for as long as possible.
It was not a surprise, but Klay's comments on “Warriors Plus/Minus” last Friday are significant, and have been treated that way by other outlets, because …
1) Thompson is the next big name who comes up in free agency … presuming that Kevin Durant will sign a long-term deal for his max or close to his max next July;
2) The only real thing that could drive the Warriors to consider another team's rich trade offer for Thompson is if Warriors execs got the sense that Thompson wanted the max when.
Kawakami: The meaning of Klay Thompson's contract comments on ‘Warriors Plus/Minus' last week
