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There's no room for sentimentality in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors franchise know as much, as they would not have gone as far as they did over the past decade had they clung onto Mark Jackson as their head coach. But with the Warriors core, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green getting up there in age, it may be time for the front office to consider making some tough decisions following suffering a tough, six-game series defeat against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thompson's place on the roster, specifically, will be put into question following a disastrous series against the Purple and Gold. The other half of the famous Splash Brother has shown up in the playoffs time and time again, but this time, Thompson disappeared and, at points, was actively being a detriment to the team with his inability to make shots.
During Game 6, in particular, Klay Thompson played like he's well on his way to playing in China. The Warriors shooting guard missed a ton of shots he'd normally make, ending the night with an inexcusable 3-19 shooting from the field. For a player making $40 million this year, this kind of performance simply won't cut it, especially with the Lakers defense zeroing in on Stephen Curry.
And it's not like this was a one-off; outside of Game 2, Thompson struggled immensely from the field, shooting below 36 percent from the field in those four games. In Games 4 and 5, he shot a combined 6-23 from the field, which made Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believe that he was due for an explosion, but all he did was put up a performance reminiscent of explosive diarrhea.
Now, with the Warriors heading into a pivotal offseason, they will be facing a slew of difficult decisions, including, but not limited to, what to do with Klay Thompson's expiring $43 million contract for next year.
Even then, here's why the Warriors must not move on from their longtime shooting guard despite a series to forget against the Lakers.
Why Warriors must not trade Klay Thompson
As one would recall, a new collective bargaining agreement will be taking effect for next season. This includes more punitive measures for tax-paying teams, and the Warriors are among those teams that will feel the brunt of those measures. For example, had the new CBA been in effect last offseason, they wouldn't have been able to sign Donte DiVincenzo, someone who emerged as a crucial rotation fixture for them throughout the season.
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Knowing how instrumental Draymond Green is to the Warriors' hopes of competing, they may have no choice but to make some painful roster cuts if they decide to keep the heart and soul of their dynasty around. And Klay Thompson and his $43 million contract has never looked as expendable as it does at the moment following his disappointing performance in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
However, if anything, the Warriors may want to cut bait on Jordan Poole first before anyone else, given his disproportionate output relative to the max extension he signed last offseason. Poole will be making $28.7 million next year, which may not be the best use of resources especially when the young Warriors guard struggled to make a consistent positive impact this postseason.
It's unclear though as to which team would want to trade any significant resources for Poole, given the reasons above. This makes sticking with Poole the most likely scenario for the Warriors. So in that case, it may be best for the Warriors to simply suck it up, foot what would be a jaw-dropping luxury tax bill, and do what it takes to keep the core together for at least one more season.
The route the Lakers decided to take with the Russell Westbrook trade, which ended up netting them two quality rotation pieces in D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, appears enticing.
Thompson's contract could net a similar return; without thinking about it too much, perhaps the Warriors can convince a win-now team such as the Atlanta Hawks to take on Thompson's contract in exchange for John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Or perhaps a team like the Dallas Mavericks could find the prospect of adding Thompson alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in exchange for Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Reggie Bullock to be rather appealing.
(For the record, this is not to suggest that the Warriors must make those trades. The hypothetical Mavs deal, in particular, doesn't look appealing at all for the Warriors.)
But this Warriors core deserves one more crack at it. A few breaks in Games 1 and 4 against the Lakers, and perhaps the Warriors would have been alive still in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
At the end of the day, the Warriors' trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green deserve to ride off into the sunset on their own terms, given how much they've contributed to the franchise in recent years. One heartbreaking playoff defeat shouldn't force the Warriors to make some knee-jerk decisions.
