Woj: Klay Would Have Interest in Clippers if Warriors Don’t Offer Max

During the ESPN 2 special “Woj and Lowe”, Woj mentioned that if Klay doesn’t receive a full, 5 year max from the Warriors shortly after free agency begins, he will take meetings with other teams, and the team that’s attractive to him is the LA Clippers. However, Lowe said he’d be “shocked” if the max offer isn’t in front of Klay by Sunday (i.e. before free agency). Essentially, Klay is still very much a long shot.

Look, Klay has ties to the LA area, and is clearly a California type of person. However, he’s extremely comfortable up in the Bay Area, is in a perfect basketball situation for him, and will likely get the max deal he wants. The Warriors, too, need Klay. He’s an ideal fit next to Steph Curry, is a beloved member as one half of the “Splash Brothers”, and has a game that should age well. He’s coming off a torn ACL and will miss much of the next year, but his game is not particularly reliant on athleticism, and a torn ACL is no longer a career-shifting injury like it used to be. From everything that’s been said, in the end, the Warriors will offer Klay the max, and he’ll take it.

If Klay does meet with the Clippers, things get interesting. While he’s not good enough to be the best player on a title team, he’s a battle-proven star who raises his game in the playoffs every year, and is a great secondary star in the modern NBA. I don’t think the Clippers would sign him if they don’t land Kawhi Leonard, but if they think that they can get him, that could be an incentive they use to help land Kawhi himself.

To sum up: Klay to the Clippers seems like a long shot, but their being involved is still a good thing, and he could be a fascinating piece next to Kawhi Leonard if everything shakes out the Clippers’ way.