NBA media members cost Klay Thompson $30 million

Klay Thompson is set to be a free agent in the NBA this summer. Because of that, he’s going to sign a very, very large contract and become a very, very rich man.

How large, and how rich? Well, that was decided on Thursday by a group of media members who cover the league.

NBA teams are allowed to go over the salary cap to sign their own free agents with a “max” contract. This season, it’s expected to be around $190 million (30% of the cap) for five years. It’s pretty good work if you can get it! However, if you can make it onto one of the three all-NBA teams — as voted on by the media — you are eligible for a “super max” contract, worth about $220 million (35% of the cap) over those same five years.

Klay was always going to get one of those two contracts this offseason, most likely from the Golden State Warriors. It was only a matter of which one.

And now, he knows the answer: He was not voted onto one of the all-NBA teams. This development did not please our favorite son.

“That’s cool and all, but when you go to five straight Finals…” Thompson said, trailing off. “I respect those guys, but when you go to five straight, it takes more than just a couple of All-NBA guys. I’m on an all-time team. But whatever. I’d rather win a championship than be on All-NBA.”

Let’s just say Klay handled the news of “you’re not getting $30 million” a lot better than I probably would have.

Thompson actually finished fourth in line for the third team, behind not only Russell Westbrook and Kemba Walker (who made it) but also Bradley Beal. Because of that, Klay is forced to leave $30 million on the table this offseason.

I don’t know whether Klay deserved to be an all-NBA player. However, one thing I do know is that it seems crazy to have that kind of money tied up in the whims of a bunch of laypeople who cover the league.

Of course, none of us are crying over a gazillionaire being a slightly less gazillionaire; according to spotrac, he’s made just a shade over $78 million in salary already — to say nothing of his China Klay endorsement money from Anta — so he’s doing just fine. But is it too much to wonder if an extra $6 mil a year might have been enough to break ground on the Klay Thompson Center for Basketball Excellence at Washington State University??

Historic tennis season ends

On Tuesday, Tiffany Mylonas and Hikaru Sato became the first Cougars duo to win a match at the NCAA Tennis Doubles Championship, thanks to an epic comeback in which they were down a set and down 4-1 in the second. On Wednesday, they bowed out of the tournament, falling 6-3, 6-3 to a team from South Carolina.

Mylonas leaves WSU with a list of pretty impressive accomplishments.

Sato, however, is just a freshman. Bright days are still ahead for the resurgent tennis program.

Not tennis

As I’m sure you’re aware, baseball fired its coach this week. I’m just going to leave this here.

Cougars Fall to Arizona in Series-Opener - Washington State University Athletics
Anthony Notaro had three hits Thursday.

Links

Why Mike Leach considers Barry Switzer to be John Wayne - The Oklahoman
Mike Leach walked through the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum on Sunday night. Leach passed the statue of John Wayne. “May as well have been Coach Switzer,” Leach said. “I always thought of him as John Wayne.

Eager Punches Ticket to NCAA Championships - Washington State University Athletics
Cougars wrap up day one of the NCAA West Prelims.

‘Best Coast’ Mailbag: What are the five biggest West Coast college football games of the 2019 season? – The Athletic ($)
The West Coast College Football Mailbag returns with questions about the Pac-12's financial situation, playoff favorites and FCS risers.

Random fun

I guess this is sorta related to Klay, but mostly I’m just a sucker for a great visual and thought I’d pass it along.

Also, I’ve already purchased SprawlBall. It’s pretty great, remarkably inexpensive, and filled with cool stuff like this: