The 2019 NBA free agency class has been talked about for a while as some of the league’s best players like Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and many others are set to hit the open market.
A bit of the shine was taken off the class when both Durant and Thompson suffered significant injuries while playing against the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. Durant went down with a ruptured Achilles and is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 NBA season while Thompson tore his ACL and could be out until next February or March.
Despite Thompson going down with the injury, Mychal Thompson expects his son to re-sign with the Warriors when they offer him a max contract, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Just spoke with Klay Thompson's father, Mychal, who said there's "no question" Klay will re-sign with the Golden State Warriors. Golden State is expected to still offer him a full five-year maximum deal.
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) June 14, 2019
In addition to Thompson, the Warriors are also expected to offer Durant a max contract as well:
I can confirm the @WindhorstESPN report that the Warriors still expect to offer Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant full five-year maximum contracts despite their injuries.
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) June 14, 2019
While Thompson has said all along that he would love to stay with the Warriors if they offer him a max deal, Durant’s future with the organization is a bit more uncertain with him potentially leaving to sign with a team like the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams that have a max-contract slot available and have the desire to pair LeBron James with a second All-Star player, so Thompson and Durant both going down is obviously not good news for them.
It seems the Lakers currently have their focus on completing a trade for Anthony Davis before the start of free agency with hopes that can convince another All-Star player to join him and James. If they are able to complete a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, then Leonard, Irving, and Butler would presumably be their top targets.
With so much uncertainty heading into free agency, the next couple of weeks will be crucial for many teams in the NBA — most notably the Lakers and Warriors.
