Klay Thompson has endured significant adversity during the last five years, as fans have picked apart his game and repeatedly called him “cooked” or “washed.” He continued to navigate unfamiliar terrain when head coach Steve Kerr temporarily relegated him to the bench in 2024. While speculation about his future rose, the four-time champion pushed forward.
But Thompson's dreadful performance in the Warriors' NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings in April was a devastating low point of a tumultuous campaign. He missed all 10 of his field goal attempts in the team's final game of the year– and it could also be the final game of his Golden State tenure.
The five-time All-Star guard is raising more questions about his free agency status this offseason after unfollowing the Warriors on social media last week, but he is also being confronted about the recent past. A fan opted to fire a shot about the aforementioned scoreless showing in Sacramento on Thompson's latest Instagram post, which had nothing to do with basketball.
“You already knew people was going to talk about your 0/10 game before posting this,” the individual said, via ClutchPoints. The Splash Brother offered a seemingly helpful response.
“Hey young fella, I'm rooting for you,” he said. “Eat your greens and get proper sleep nightly and you will make the NBA one day thru hard work and perseverance.”
Warriors legend Klay Thompson has been active on Instagram lately
Regardless of what physical limitations that injuries have left him with on the court, Klay Thompson still appears to be sharp off of it. There will be plenty of smoke surrounding him in the coming weeks, so there is no point in stoking any flames right now. The 34-year-old is choosing to handle the barb with grace and his own subtle form of retaliation. It is an interesting approach given his recent online activity, however.
Thompson's decision to silence the critics with kindness comes after he stirred up some controversy by unfollowing the Warriors on Instagram and deleting many posts about the team. Obviously, he knows how fans will respond to such a move. Hence, it would be somewhat strange if he wanted to savagely troll people about his free agency decision and then clap back rather diplomatically days later.
Or could it be that Thompson is just being straightforward about his summer intentions? Draymond Green is definitely not putting stock into his longtime teammate's social media tendencies. In fact, he is amused, perhaps just as Thompson intended.
Warriors fans cannot deny the realistic possibility of No. 11 leaving the Bay, though.
Klay Thompson is looking at his options
The future Hall of Famer, who has spent his entire NBA career alongside Steph Curry and all but one of his 13 years with Green, could be looking for one last big payday. “Klay Thompson, I'm told, is open to all external options in free agency coming up,” Shams Charania reported on FanDuel's “Run it Back.”
The likelihood of there being be a bidding war for the two-time All-NBA Third-Team selection would rationally be low based on his apparent decline, but there might be a couple of franchises that value his championship experience and 3-point shooting prowess. Even at his worst, Thompson still knocks down over 38 percent of his attempts from distance.
One such candidate for the Klay Thompson sweepstakes could be the Orlando Magic. The young squad made the fewest number of 3-pointers in the league while shooting a seventh-worst 35.2 percent from that range, making it an intriguing destination for the veteran. With Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs all still on team-friendly contracts, the Magic could be the most inclined to fork over a deal that satisfies Thompson's preference for both salary and years.
The Warriors ostensibly want to keep the band together, though. Losing a pillar of the greatest era in franchise history would be a bitter pill to swallow for many. Curry has expressed the desire to finish his career with his longtime running mates. But sometimes, business supersedes what the heart wants.
Golden State reportedly offered Thompson an extension last offseason, but he is clearly thinking bigger. Owner Joe Lacob has a little more time to decide if he wants to get on the same page as the 2011 first-round draft pick.
As the organization sorts everything out, Thompson will probably have a few more opportunities to uniquely address the trolls.
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