Warriors’ Klay Thompson undergoes surgery to repair Achilles

Warriors guard Klay Thompson underwent surgery in Los Angeles Wednesday to repair his torn right Achilles tendon, according to a team release. The five-time All-Star is expected to make a full recovery.

As first reported by ESPN, the surgery was performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel in Los Angeles. Ferkel has worked with other NBA players, including Ricky Rubio, DeMarcus Cousins, Joel Embiid, Wesley Matthews and Steph Curry.

Thompson was on pace to return for the start of the 2020-21 season next month after he missed all of last season with a torn left ACL he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals. Instead, he is looking at another extended rehabilitation after suffering the Achilles injury last week during a workout in Southern California.

One of the top shooters of his generation, Thompson will go two years between games. It’s a crushing blow not only for Thompson, but for a Warriors team seeking to return to title contention. To replenish their depth, the Warriors traded for forward Kelly Oubre Jr. and signed guards Kent Bazemore and Brad Wanamaker in free agency.

The Warriors also applied for a disabled player exception in response to Thompson’s injury. The exception would be worth $9.3 million and would allow the team to sign a player to a one-year deal or trade for a player with one year left on his contract without using cap space. If the exception is granted by the NBA, the Warriors would most likely use it in the regular season.