Morten’s Monday Morning Column: NBA Contract Extensions

Nov 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Golden State Warriors guard

(11) reacts after making the game winning shot against the Portland Trail Blazers during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Klay Thompson’s $70 million also is a bit spicy, especially for someone who’s never broken the NBA average in PER, but Thompson at least is a sound two-way player who drains long-range shots at a high percentage, and is one of the better wing defenders in the NBA. He doesn’t collect a lot of stats, least of which steals and blocks, but does most of his damage defensively as being a sublime team defender who can increase his intensity late in games. In particular, it’s Thompson’s footwork and communication that does the trick for the Warriors, who after three games surprisingly have the best defense in the NBA after finishing fourth last season.

For Thompson, the price tag of $70 million is hefty, but the NBA is suffering through a severe lack of quality two-guards which helped spike up the price. The fact that Golden State refused to deal Thompson to Minnesota in a Kevin Love deal also helped strengthen Thompson’s negotiation tactic for that max deal. $17.5 million a year is a lot now, and won’t look like a bargain when the new cap hits, but given that Golden State is inching closer and closer to being a championship contender, they decided to avoid distractions and go to work with one of the best two-guards in the league.

Ruling: Slightly overpaid, but justifiably so.