Sunday 12 May 2019 08:18, UK
Golden State owner Joe Lacob hopes to keep guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with the Warriors for as long as they play in the NBA.
With forward Kevin Durant sidelined, Curry and Thompson combined for 60 points (Curry scored 33, Thompson 27) to eliminate the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semi-finals with a 118-113 Game 6 victory.
And with Durant, whose 2019-20 option is worth $31.5m, linked to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and others, the pair could become even more important moving forward.
"Obviously, my intention is to keep them as part of our organization forever," Lacob told ESPN. "That's our goal. We'll see what happens."
And while Curry has a five-year, $201.16m deal that runs until the 2021-22 season, sharpshooter Thompson has been linked with a move to his native Los Angeles - if the Warriors don't offer a maximum contract ($191m over five years).
However, Lacob has a long-term relationship with Thompson that could see him remain with the Warriors.
"I have a special bond with him. I always have," Lacob said of Thompson.
"He's the first player, since I bought the team, that we drafted. The very first one. And I just have always felt an incredible attachment.
"People make fun of me a little bit -- I always say I love Klay. I love Klay. I just do. He's so real. He's so real. There's no B.S. And there's something about him, I have a very special relationship with him."
