The Golden State Warriors have officially lost Klay Thompson. He has signed with the Dallas Mavericks to partner up with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic through NBA Free Agency. While the collapse was very evident since last season, there were still questions in people's minds. A lot of them had to do with why Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr allowed him to walk but not Draymond Green for his antics.
Understandably, Klay Thompson wanted to play like his normal self. A role that did not have him relegated to the bench and one that allowed him to pop off alongside Draymond Green and Stephen Curry. But, that did not happen when he was given the chance earlier in the season. The Warriors even offered him a two-year deal, which was bigger than what he got with the Mavericks in NBA Free Agency.
So, how did all of that lead to the Warriors eventually parting ways with Thompson? An insider outlined how Stephen Curry could have played a big part in all of this, via Jason Dumas in 95.7 The Game.
“In the last three years, I know Draymond has punched people and got himself suspended on the court. I'm telling you this. Klay has been equally exhausting behind the scenes. It's not as loud because it's not you stomping on someone's chest. If he's slamming stuff on the bench and sulking and doing that on the court, how do you think it is in practice? How do you think it is in the locker room? It has been uncomfortable. It just does not come out as loudly as Draymond,” Dumas said about the Thompson situation.
Why did the Stephen Curry-led Warriors pick Draymond Green up and not Klay Thompson?
It all reportedly had to do with fit alongside Curry. While the greatest shooter in all of league history has seen Green, he may have vouched for him to stay.
“Look, Steph has been very vocal about his partnership with Draymond Green on the basketball court. Obviously, some of the things that Draymond has done on the court, to get himself suspended, upset everybody in the organization. But, when it comes to basketball and the basketball fit, Steph is the loudest person in the room saying, ‘I'd like to play with Draymond Green.' The reason why Draymond is still a Warrior is because of Stephen Curry. They had every reason to trade him after some of the things that have gone down this year. He's still on the roster, that's intentional. That's not an accident and it's not just a coincidence. Steph wants that,” he declared.
All of that hit a tipping point in the last game of Warriors' 2023-24 campaign against the Sacramento Kings. Thompson failed to knock down a single shot which led to their eventual elimination. Now, new horizons are set for the other half of the Splash Brothers. Hopefully, his NBA Free Agency move pays off and the Mavericks give him the success he wants. Number 11 will always belong to him.
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