The Golden State Warriors' dynasty has faded, and Klay Thompson is a poster child of that decline. The four-time NBA champion is coming off his worst season yet, and there's a good chance he may not be a Warrior again.
“This is the way it works in the NBA and any professional sport,” Kerr explained. “There's just gonna be difficult moments. Uncomfortable moments where money is involved, contracts, you know, respect, however you wanna put it. What I do know is that Klay has been such an integral part of everything around here. Obviously, you know, multi-time champion, but even more than that just someone who has such a great connection with the Bay Area, with the franchise, with his teammates.”
While Thompson is a modern legend and future Hall-of-Famer, the Warriors' front office may not throw roses at his feet any longer. The 34-year-old averaged 17.9 points last season, his fewest since 2012-13. He also put up a 38.7% clip from long range.
While these are respectable numbers, he's far from the irreplaceable force he once was.
“We want Klay back desperately, I want him back desperately, and we'll have our conversations, and he's gotta make whatever decision he makes,” Kerr continued. “Yeah, we really want him back, he's Klay Thompson.”
Does the front office agree? If so, how much money will they put up for the Splash Brother?
Thompson can still contribute, but he won't push the Warriors forward
Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy sounded off on the Thompson dilemma in his pre-draft press conference on Monday, via the team's YouTube channel.
“We want him back,” Dunleavy said in a press conference Monday. “I think we’ve said that all along. Hopeful he’ll come back, but as far as the specifics of discussions and those types of things, I think it’s important to keep in-house.”
Thompson becomes an unrestricted free agent on June 30th, at which point he'll be free to negotiate with whatever team he wants.
“I think being reasonable and rational, that’s always how I’m going to operate but to say about a guy like Klay Thompson, who’s meant so much to this franchise, to completely strip the emotion away from it, I think that’s almost impossible,” continued Dunleavy. “I think it’s about what the right thing that works for the franchise and the player and the role he is in. Factoring all of those things in is what’s most important, and that’s what is taking place and what we’re looking at.”
While Dunleavy typically kept his cards close to the chest, it's feasible for Thompson to seek greener pastures. The five-time All-Star could be a solid veteran depth piece for a contender, and the Warriors are at least a couple of years away from being legitimate threats in the West again.
Whatever happens, Golden State fans can rest easy knowing that they witnessed the greatest shooting duo of all time up close for a decade.
