Philadelphia 76ers Could Emerge As Klay Thompson Suitor

The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t ready to start preparing for the 2024 NBA offseason. They defeated the Miami Heat in the first round of NBA Play-In Tournament games, earning the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and a matchup with the New York Knicks.

While their focus is solely on figuring out a way to defeat their Atlantic Division foes, some people have already turned their attention to offseason plans. The 76ers are a team many people will be keeping an eye on given how much cap space they will have.

Right now, the only players under contract beyond this season are Joel Embiid and Paul Reed. Philadelphia is expected to re-sign Tyrese Maxey, but they will wait on that and just use his cap hold so that they can sign other players first.

The 76ers will have the means to sign a max player and have been linked to Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers. Another player to keep an eye on, in the opinion of Stephen Noh of The Sporting News, is Golden State Warriors veteran, Klay Thompson.

Thompson is set to hit free agency this summer and for the first time, it feels as if Golden State’s Big 3 could break up. When they lost to the Sacramento Kings in their NBA Play-In Tournament game, it felt like the end of an era was upon us.

“Thompson is one of the best available options in a very weak class. He would make some sense as a target for them given their championship window. Could they offer a short-term overpay to pair up the shooter with Joel Embiid?

Philadelphia made a similar move back in 2017, giving JJ Redick a one-year, $23 million deal on the back end of his career. It was a different regime, but the move makes sense for the same reasons,” wrote Noh.

Thompson could conceivably fill the role that Buddy Hield has been playing since being acquired from the Indiana Pacers ahead of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. While Thompson’s shooting percentage hasn’t quite returned to his pre-injury level, he would be an upgrade on Hield defensively.

This season, Thompson also showed a willingness to accept a new role for the betterment of the team. Not demanding to remain a starter should only improve his market as teams are aware he will do what is best for the squad to help win games.

There is still a lot of admiration and love for Thompson in Golden State, as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr all voiced their opinions on wanting him back. But, at the end of the day, the NBA is a business and the front office will do what it feels is best for the franchise moving forward.