West Notes: Warriors, Klay Thompson, Mavs, Nuggets, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Warriors

One of the biggest mysteries of the offseason is what happens next with Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, an unrestricted free agent.

The Warriors seemingly want him back and he seemingly wants to return. But it’s all about if the dollars make sense for a guy who, these days, really is best suited for a reserve role.

“After paying an exorbitant luxury tax bill to miss the playoffs, the Warriors will want to stay out of the new second apron,” wrote Kevin Pelton of ESPN. “That would give them a little more than $40 million in first-year salary between re-signing Thompson and using the taxpayer midlevel exception to re-sign or replace Chris Paul.”

• Thompson is reportedly seeking a contract of at least three years, as we relayed here.
• He repeatedly has been linked to the Magic, and it appears the sides do indeed share a mutual interest. (Full story.)

Mavericks

How do you follow up a trip to the NBA Finals? For the Mavericks, it may mean running it back.

“The task this offseason is to shed about $10 million in payroll, freeing Dallas to offer starter Derrick Jones Jr. a deal using the non-taxpayer midlevel exception after he emerged as an ace defender while playing for the veteran’s minimum,” Pelton wrote. “Ideally, the Mavericks will break Tim Hardaway Jr.’s $16.2 million expiring salary into smaller pieces that they can dump while using cash and a limited stock of second-round picks.”

• Dallas is said to be among the teams interested in selecting Bronny James in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, as we relayed here.
• No less than agent Rich Paul indicated as much, saying that Mavs GM Nico Harrison is “like an uncle” to Bronny. (Full story.)

Nuggets

The status of guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the Nuggets’ biggest offseason conundrum, given that he has a $15.4 million player option and they are already over the tax threshold.

“The best scenario for Denver would be to convince Caldwell-Pope to opt in and extend his contract, pushing his higher salaries to future years when both the cap goes up and Caldwell-Pope gets the payday he desires,” Pelton wrote. “If Jamal Murray also signs an extension this summer rather than waiting on a possible All-NBA spot and supermax eligibility, the Nuggets could get their full starting five signed through 2025-26.”

• The Nuggets are indeed concerned about losing Caldwell-Pope, as we relayed here.
• One hypothetical trade proposal has the Nuggets landing Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen in a deal involving forward Michael Porter Jr. We have that full story here.