It is an end of an era for the Golden State Warriors after Klay Thompson decided to depart the team after 13 highly productive seasons to join the reigning NBA Finals runner-up Dallas Mavericks. Thompson's departure, however, seemed rather inevitable, with the two sides failing to see eye-to-eye in contract talks. Sensing the loss of one of the best two-way sharpshooters in the history of the NBA, the Warriors set their sights towards acquiring Paul George from the Los Angeles Clippers to try and keep their window of contention wide open.

In the end, Draymond Green saw that the Warriors were in the driver's seat to acquire George before he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. But the Clippers simply chose not to dance to George and the Warriors' tune.

“I'm a little salty about [George going to the 76ers] because, as you all know, Paul George was gonna come to the Warriors. We wanted Paul George to come to the Warriors,” Green said on the most recent episode of his eponymous podcast. “The Clippers didn’t really want to play ball. Didn’t really want to help him get to where he wanted to go, and so in turn they get nothing back.”

There was a period in which it looked likely that the Warriors were going to acquire George via an opt-in and trade. But come June 29, George decided to opt out of his contract, making it impossible for the Dubs to acquire him without gutting their team. That was when many knew that the Clippers simply did not like the return the Warriors were offering.

The Clippers will contend that, unlike what Draymond Green said, they did get something back amid Paul George's departure — future flexibility. They also signed Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, Kris Dunn, and Mo Bamba in an attempt to strengthen the team's depth for a fraction of what it would have cost them to keep George.

But for a player that the Clippers acquired for a boatload of draft picks as well as current MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, losing him for future flexibility won't exactly be an easy pill to swallow — with the Warriors being dragged down along with them as a result.

The Warriors' pivot — will it work?

It's not yet too late for the Warriors to try and come up with something that should at least put them in contention for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference. Stephen Curry is still a great player and Draymond Green, for all his faults, remains one of the best defenders in the association. But it might be time for the Dubs to take some risks after being so averse to doing so over the past few years.

Lauri Markkanen stands out as the best player the Warriors could target in terms of fit; Markkanen is a legitimate three-level scorer and a walking mismatch due to his 7'0 frame. His sweet shooting would give the Warriors a lethal weapon that would confound opposing defenses regarding who to defend; Markkanen shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc on 8.0 attempts per game last season, making him a worthy member of the Splash Family.

However, acquiring Markkanen from the Utah Jazz, even though he's in the final year of his contract, will cost the Warriors a steep price. Markkanen, being just 27 years of age, is right in the middle of his prime, and players of his offensive talent do not grow on trees. But will the Warriors finally face the music and trade away the players necessary to give Stephen Curry a new co-star?

For starters, the Jazz, for sure, will be asking for Jonathan Kuminga in return. The Warriors have been stubborn in keeping Kuminga, and for justifiable reason. Kuminga is only going to be entering his age-22 season and he showed massive improvements last season, putting up 16 points a night on 53 percent shooting from the field despite seeing his role get yanked around. But trading Kuminga is where the Markkanen talks begin and end.

One of Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Brandin Podziemski may also have to go; if anything, the Warriors are most likely to keep Podziemski due to his advanced feel for the game for his age. Moody hasn't established himself as a consistent rotation player yet, depressing his trade value, but at just 22 years of age, there could be a lot of untapped potential yet for the 6'6 wing.

If the Warriors were to be serious about putting together a contender for next season, trading for Lauri Markkanen is as close to a must as it can get. After all, the signings of De'Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson, while helpful, aren't exactly needle-moving.