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Clay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

Obviously, the biggest story for the Golden State Warriors last season was their championship victory. It marked their fourth title in eight years with this same core. However, the second-best storyline that came out of Golden State last year was the return of Klay Thompson.

In the 2019 NBA Finals, Thompson went down with a torn ACL. Then, as he was attempting to make his comeback, he ruptured his Achilles, setting him back significantly. But at the beginning of 2022, Thompson made his glorious return to the court.

While he wasn’t back to his regular form, Thompson was more than excited to be back, and he even helped Golden State win a championship. During an interview with Damon and Ratto of 95.7 The Game, head coach Steve Kerr said that fans should expect Thompson to be more consistent next year.

“Klay is just on cloud nine right now,” Kerr said. “He can’t wait for camp to start, and I would expect him to be more consistent this year, just having that conditioning base underneath him, and that consistency of good health and being able to train all summer.”

Thompson only appeared in 32 games for the Warriors last season, but he played in all 22 playoff games. And according to Kerr, Thompson is having a phenomenal offseason.

Kerr: ‘He’s in Such a Wonderful Place’

It’s been a busy offseason for a lot of the Warriors. Stephen Curry graduated from Davidson College and hosted his Underrated golf tour, Draymond Green got married and was inducted into the Michigan State Hall of Fame, and Thompson has been parting on his boat.

Kerr mentioned that Thompson has been having a ton of fun this summer.

“We texted the other day, and he is just having such a great summer,” Kerr explained. “He’s in such a wonderful place now that he’s back and he’s healthy, and his brother Trayce [Thompson] is hitting home runs for the Dodgers.”

In the 32 regular-season games Thompson appeared in last season, he averaged 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 42.9% shooting from the field and 38.5% shooting behind from the three-point line.

And according to Brad Klopfer of Golden State of Mind, Thompson could end up taking a pay cut to help the team soon.

Thompson Could Take Pay Cut

Golden State is going to be dealing with a financial issue over the next two seasons. Green, Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Andrew Wiggins will all need contact extensions soon, and Klopfer believes that Thompson could end up taking a pay cut to help the team.

“It’s really hard to say [if Thompson or Green will take pay cuts], because we don’t know how they’ll look when they become free agents. Clay Thompson still has two years left on his deal,” Klopfer wrote. “Draymond Green has one year, with an option for a second year. Will they be All-NBA talents on a championship team when they hit free agency? Or will they be sentimental fan favorites on a team transitioning to their next era?”

But before that happens, Kerr believes that Thompson could be in for a big season next year.