Warriors set to sign Thompson to max deal

Klay Thompson plans to keep splashing 3-pointers by the bay.

The Golden State Warriors are prepared to sign Thompson to a five-year, $190 million maximum contract, according to multiple reports. The Warriors are sending a front-office contingent to Los Angeles to visit Thompson as the NBA free-agent signing period is set to begin Sunday evening.

Thompson has reportedly indicated he would return to the Warriors if a max deal was offered.

Thompson, 29, has spent his entire eight-season career with the Warriors. He has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the last five seasons and played a key role in the Warriors' championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018 as one of the "Splash Brothers" alongside Stephen Curry.

The Los Angeles native tore his left ACL during Game 6 of this year's NBA Finals and is expected to be out until at least February or March of next season.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr routinely has praised Thompson, who also earned a spot on the NBA's All-Defensive Team this season.

"When you factor in what he does offensively, I think he probably covers more ground than anybody in the league," Kerr said before the start of the NBA Finals. "And I know you can look that up these days with the tracking system that we have now in all the arenas, but the guy's a machine. It's incredible how he moves offensively and then pursues his man defensively.

"(He) usually plays on the ball defensively, does a lot of switching, guards post men after the switch. The physical stamina that Klay displays is amazing. Leads us in minutes, minutes played, so he's just a machine out there."

The Warriors will open next season in a new arena along the San Francisco Bay.

The team's focus now will shift to the future of Kevin Durant, who also is a free agent. Durant is expected to meet with four teams, including the Warriors.