NBA Free Agents 2015 Rumors: Klay Thompson Deserves Maximum Contract, Says ESPN Analyst Mark Jackson

By John Santisteban | Oct 24, 2014 04:25 PM EDT

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Klay Thompson could become one of biggest names on the free agent market in the summer of 2015 if the Golden State Warriors fail to sign him to a contract extension until the end of the month.

Former Warriors coach and current ESPN analyst Mark Jackson believes that the Warriors should not think twice in offering a lucrative deal to Thompson, saying that the 24-year-old deserves a maximum contract because he is the best two-way guard in the league today.

"He's a guy that will make a boatload of money and in my opinion the best two-way shooting guard in the world, and it's not even close," Jackson said in a conference call as reported by the San Jose Mercury News when asked to react about Thompson's father's statement about getting a max deal. "He's got to get the max contract."

Thompson previously said that he is not thinking about his contract status, but he told IBABuzz on Friday that he is hoping that a new deal will be signed before the Oct. 31 deadline, while also adding that he was thrilled by his father and Jackson's talk about him getting the max deal.

"It's good to hear from guys like that because they both played in the NBA, and both were successful in the NBA and been around the game for so many decades," Thompson said of his father and Jackson. "So if they think I'm that quality type of player, it makes me think highly of myself as well, you know?"

"I know it's my dad, Mychal Thompson, 'yeah, whatever.' But at the end of the day, he was a monster on the court when he played, so he knows what he's talking about," he added.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers recently said in an interview that they want to secure Thompson's long-term future with the team, but he added that they are not in a hurry, believing that the sharp-shooting guard will remain focused on their campaign even if he has yet to get a new deal.

"Certain people are built that way where you just point them in the direction, and they go. So I don't particularly worry about his mind-set approaching the season," Myers said of Thompson.

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