Klay Thompson Rumors: Warriors Have No Desire to Trade Star amid Contract Buzz

Despite his early-season struggles and being in the final year of his contract, Klay Thompson isn't going to be traded by the Golden State Warriors.

On the Lowe Post podcast (h/t HoopsHype.com), ESPN's Zach Lowe said the Warriors "have no desire" to trade Thompson.

"To be clear, the Warriors do not want to trade Klay Thompson. They have no desire to do it," Lowe said. "I would bet heavily against it ever happening."

The topic came up because in the same episode, Lowe talked about how multiple executives from opposing teams were raising the question:

"I've had four executives from other teams in the last 72 hours asked me, 'Would they ever trade Klay Thompson?" And the reason they're asking is because teams see somewhat of an opportunity there. In terms of, 'Can we get involved in a deal? Would they have to attach an asset to trade Klay Thompson if they want to get meaningful win-now talent with multiple years left on their contract in exchange for Klay Thompson?"

There's been nothing publicly to indicate the Warriors have even thought about moving on from Thompson during the season. The two sides were on different pages regarding a potential extension before the regular season began.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on Oct. 23 that contract talks between Thompson and the Warriors "stalled" due to both the salary and years on the deal that were being discussed.

Thompson was seeking more than the Warriors were willing to offer. The five-time All-Star is making $43.2 million this season, the final year of his five-year, $189.9 million deal that was signed in July 2019.

After a slow start to the season, Thompson looks like he's starting to turn things around. He's scored at least 20 points in four of the last five games after failing to hit that mark in each of his first 13 starts.

The Warriors are still trying to find positive momentum. They have alternated wins and losses in their last five games and are 9-10 overall. The only time they have won consecutive games was during their five-game winning streak from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3.