ESPN recently released their list of 10 blockbuster moves that need to happen. Making the list was Klay Thompson signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It was a great season for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2023-24. They were able to finish the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference and they won their first playoff series in quite some time.
However, the young Thunder were taken out by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and some issues with their roster were exposed. One of those issues was shooting on the wing.
In a recent ESPN article, they spoke about why Klay Thompson signing with the Thunder should happen this offseason. Here’s what they had to say.
Even if he was a hair under 39% from 3 this past season, the 34-year-old still canned 268 triples. (The season before, when he hit 41.2% of his 3s, Thompson drained a league-best 301.) Gilgeous-Alexander was already throwing kickout passes a longer average distance than anyone outside of Luka Doncic, per Second Spectrum, because of how much space he had to work with. (Oklahoma City also uses its guards to screen off the ball in a way that’s similar to what Golden State does.) Thompson would amplify all that.
It was a very disappointing season for the Golden State Warriors, as it appears that their window is closing and they appear like a team that will be making some changes. As a free agent this offseason, it seems like Thompson’s time in Golden State might be coming to an end.
While Thompson might not be an All-Star anymore, he is still a very good shooter and would make a lot of sense for the Thunder. As we saw in the playoffs this year, three-point shooting was a bit of an issue for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As one of the best three-point shooters of all time, Thompson would help improve them in that area right away. Also, Klay Thompson would provide some veteran leadership as a player who has won multiple championships.
This potential pairing makes a lot of sense for both sides and it will be interesting to see if it comes to fruition.
