Klay Thompson Landing Spots if Golden State Warriors Reset

After losing the 9-10 play-in game to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors have officially missed the 2024 NBA playoffs.

For the third time in the last five seasons, they won't be playing on the game's biggest stage.

And the early flameout for a team that won four championships from 2015 through 2022 has many wondering understandably if we've seen the end of this dynasty.

Stephen Curry is 36 and no longer in the "best in the world" conversation. Draymond Green's behavior this season was perhaps the biggest reason they were in the play-in at all. And Klay Thompson, who went 0-of-10 from the field on Tuesday, is 34, nowhere near the defender he once was and a free agent this summer.

Despite postgame pleas from Green and coach Steve Kerr for the team to re-sign Thompson, there's at least a chance the roster will go through some turnover this summer. Just a few months ago, team owner Joe Lacob expressed a desire to get out of the luxury tax, which will take some serious slashing of the cap sheet.

If one of those slashes includes Thompson (or if he simply decides he wants to move on), there are still a number of teams that should be interested.

No, the five-time All-Star isn't the player he was prior to surgeries to repair his ACL and Achilles, but he still averaged 17.9 points and 3.5 threes, while shooting 38.7 percent from deep.

In a more dedicated floor-spacer role (think Kyle Korver in years past or Grayson Allen more recently) and if surrounded by more playmaking, Thompson could still move the needle in a positive direction for each of the team's listed below.

Rumors are already swirling about the Philadelphia 76ers using their wealth of cap space to pursue Paul George, but him actually landing there obviously isn't a given.

If the 33-year-old chooses to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers or go elsewhere, Thompson would be a solid Plan B for Philly.

There is plenty of usage, ball-handling and creation accounted for with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. As a Sixer, all Thompson would have to do is move around off the ball and launch catch-and-shoot threes.

The same volume and efficiency he had this season would be more than good enough to force defenses to keep an eye on him outside. And that, by extension, should pull at least a little attention away from the Maxey-Embiid two-man game.

The appeal here is similar to Philadelphia's.

The Orlando Magic have a pair of stars (or at least budding stars) in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Both can create their own offense or distribute to teammates.

Cole Anthony, Joe Ingles and Jalen Suggs are all under contract next season, too. In other words, there are plenty of unselfish creators here who would be willing to set Thompson up for threes after his off-ball cuts.

And Orlando's need for his specific skill set might be even greater than the Sixers'.

The Magic were tied for last in the league in threes made per game this season. They were tied for 23rd in three-point percentage.

A high-volume shooter to a take a little pressure off Wagner, Banchero and the other slashers inside would go a long way.

It would be pretty easy for the Oklahoma City Thunder to justify a patient summer without making any drastic moves.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to finish top three in MVP voting. And at 25 years old, he's somehow among the elder statesmen of a team that just secured the West's top seed.

OKC could do almost nothing this offseason and enter 2024-25 as a bona fide title contender.

But using some of its cap space on Thompson might not do much to upset the apple cart.

He'd go there likely knowing it's as a more limited offensive weapon than he's been in the past. And his shooting would have a similar effect on SGA's drives as it would for Philadelphia and Orlando.

There's a world in which the San Antonio Spurs try to be bad for one more year. Pairing phenom Victor Wembanyama with Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey from the 2025 NBA draft could set them up for several years of dominance.

The problem with that approach is that Wemby may be too good already. As a rookie, he had a borderline All-NBA case. When he shared the floor with Tre Jones (an actual point guard) and Devin Vassell (a good floor spacer), San Antonio was plus-10.2 points per 100 possessions.

Knowing the chance to compete as early as 2024-25 is there and just passing on it could irk the rising superstar. So using some of their cap space on a veteran with championship experience makes sense for the Spurs.

A two-man game with Jones and Wembanyama, flanked by Vassell and Thompson, could be a nightmare to defend.

And if the Spurs aren't wasting several weeks on experiments like Jeremy Sochan at point guard or Wemby at the 4, adding Thompson could have them pushing for a return to the playoffs as early as 2025.

You knew the Los Angeles Lakers would make an appearance.

And though they'll likely only have the taxpayer's mid-level exception ($5.2 million) to offer Thompson, the chance to chase a ring alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis for one of the league's most storied franchises—and one his father won titles with—could be intriguing.

And, like Orlando, L.A. may actually have a real need for more volume from the outside.

The Lakers have plenty of playmakers to create open looks with LeBron, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell, but they were 24th in threes per game this season.

Juicing that number a bit could go a long way toward improving James' shot at one more ring.