The 2024 offseason saw one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history break up. Following a tumultuous year filled with ups and downs, Klay Thompson has left the Golden State Warriors. The sharpshooter orchestrated a sign-and-trade that sent him to the Dallas Mavericks. While publicly, both sides have been amicable, plenty of drama around the decision has popped up in the last few days.
The main drama that's been in the news cycle recently are the reasons Thompson was let go by the Warriors. Multiple sources have claimed that the four-time NBA champion's personality was a big factor. However, an article from the Boston Globe posits a much simpler theory: Thompson wanted more, and the Warriors felt that he wasn't deserving of such a contract.
“More information is coming out about why Klay Thompson left the Warriors for the Mavericks, and it seems both sides were at fault. Thompson, despite missing two full seasons with injuries, felt he was nearly the same player he was before and the Warriors didn’t agree. Thompson felt as if he should have been compensated with a four-year deal similar to Draymond Green’s and Andrew Wiggins’s, especially since neither has lived up to their contracts.”
This ultimately seems to be an accurate version of what happened. Thompson's performance has declined, but so has Green's and Wiggins'. Green has been even worse, as his off-court antics have given Golden State more trouble than they need. That being said, the Warriors did not want to repeat that same mistake with Klay, whose performance last season was much more erratic than before.
Thompson's Warriors career
It's hard to tell the story of the Warriors dynasty without Klay Thompson. Stephen Curry gets most of the attention, and Green, while now struggling, often gets credit for his contributions early in the dynasty. However, one could argue that without Thompson, the two-man game of Curry and Green would not be as effective.
A lottery pick in the 2011 draft, Thompson emerged as arguably the second-best shooter in the league behind Curry. His off-ball prowess made him an effective asset in Steve Kerr's motion system. Curry and Thompson's off-ball movement forced teams to adopt switch-heavy defenses, and the Warriors still made them pay. The sight of the Splash Brothers screening for each other and creating chaos while Green orchestrates still gives the Rockets and the Cavaliers nightmares today.
An injury in the 2019 NBA Finals ended up being the start of Thompson's decline. With an ACL tear and an Achilles tear, the Warriors star was never quite the same upon his return. His shooting was still elite, but his underrated defense was phased out of his skillset. Still, Thompson was a key contributor to the Warriors' 2022 championship, averaging 19 points per game in his return to action.
Since then, though, Thompson's performance has been quite erratic. He struggled quite a bit with shooting last season, and his solution of shooting himself out of the slump did not quite work. While we cannot be certain about how his attitude affected his exit, we can't deny that his on-court performance gave the Warriors some pause when he asked for his new contract.
Follow Us
Subscribe