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The big offseason moves for the Golden State Warriors are likely in the books.
Kevin Durant left, and Andre Iguodala was traded. D’Angelo Russell joined the fray, while Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney re-signed.
Barring something wild and very unexpected, the big moves are in the rear view mirror. From here, the Warriors will fill out their roster with tiny contracts, while they maneuver around hard cap that they’re so close to.
The ins and outs of the Warriors moves - which cannot be completed until July 6 - are still coming through, and two notable details were released yesterday.
Klay Thompson, who signed a five-year, $190 million contract, will receive a 15% trade kicker, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Golden State All-Star Klay Thompson's new five-year, $190M contract includes a 15 percent trade kicker, agent Greg Lawrence tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
A trade kicker is simply a contract detail that allows Thompson to get paid more money if he’s traded. Just like teammate Steph Curry, Thompson did not receive a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning the Warriors can trade either player whenever they want.
But the trade kicker makes it less likely that the Warriors will ever trade Thompson, and it sweetens the pot for the five-time All-Star should Golden State ever force him to call a new place home.
If the Warriors trade Thompson, they will have to pay him an additional 15% of what remains on his contract. While Golden State is on the hook for that money, the team trading for Thompson would have to count it against their cap space.
A pertinent example is Anthony Davis, who notably waived his $4 million trade kicker when traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, to give his new team the requisite money to pursue maximum contract free agents.
The 15% that Thompson and his agent negotiated is the maximum allowed.
Kevon Looney also ended up with a slightly better deal than was originally reported. Looney signed a three-year, $15 million contract, which is pretty team friendly given the fifth-year center’s value.
However, the third year of the contract is a player option, meaning Looney can enter free agency in 2021 if he thinks he can make more money than the final year of his contract would pay him. It is not a team option, however, so the Warriors have no say in the matter.
Looney’s option was first reported by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.