When Klay Thompson continued his annual progression with career-highs in multiple scoring categories last season, the Golden State Warriors knew an extension was in order.
And with the deadline looming on Halloween night, general manager Bob Myers had all the evidence he needed to finalize the terms.
Myers inked Thompson to an extension that adds four years and roughly $70 million to the third-year shooting guard’s existing deal.
The exact figures of the maximum contract will not be known until the NBA releases the salary cap for the 2015-16 season, according to ESPN.com news services.
But the important facts are clear: Thompson received his max deal and the Warriors will retain his exclusive rights through 2018-19, with neither side having an opt-out clause.
They otherwise would have been subject to the loathsome negotiation process next summer with Thompson being a restricted free agent.
Now, the question remains, is he worth it? Is the second-best player on the team worth $26 million more than the Warriors’ unquestioned No. 1 in Stephen Curry?
In an apples-to-apples, theoretical vacuum, he is not.
If Curry had been up for an extension this year instead of before the 2013-14 campaign, he would have been given a max deal appropriate to his status as a top-five point guard.
But he wasn’t. And in the context of the current market and him being the NBA’s top shooting guard, Thompson deserves every penny that his new contract provides.
Thompson has increased his yearly scoring averages since being drafted No. 11 overall in 2011. He notched 18.4 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting and a 41.7 percent clip from distance last season.
His stunning 223 three-pointers ranked second only to Curry.
And per ESPN Stats & Information, his 545 makes from downtown rank tops in NBA history for a player in his first three seasons.
Thompson has also improved as a defender in each year of his young career. His defensive win shares, or estimated number of wins contributed by a player’s defense, has risen from 0.3 to 2.6 to 3.2.
Throw in his 3.5 offensive win shares in 2013-14 and he contributed 6.7 to Golden State’s total of 51 wins.
And through five games this year, Thompson has compiled career-bests with 23.8 points, a 47.0 shooting percentage, 3.2 assists and 6.6 free throw attempts. He is also on pace to shatter his previous marks in all notable defensive metrics.
Plus, he established a career-high 41 points against the Los Angeles Lakers just hours after he signed his new extension.
These stats reveal a player who has not only maintained his upper-echelon standing as a sharpshooter, but who also has evolved into a lethal inside scorer who gets to the line and plays lockdown defense on opposing guards.
Mark Jackson, who coached the Warriors from 2011-2014, helped instill that defensive prowess. But it’s first-year head coach Steve Kerr who is maximizing Thompson’s immense potential on both ends, including as a versatile scorer.
With Kerr locked in for the next five years and Curry for at least three, it only makes sense that this coach-player triumvirate stays intact.
Thompson, though, is the man of the hour—and deservedly so.
Follow Joey on Twitter @jlevitt16 as he tries to wax eloquent on all things Warriors, NBA, NFL, MLB and the sports world at large