Klay Thompson had spent his entire career playing with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors before the 2024 NBA offseason. Now, Thompson is preparing for his next chapter with the Dallas Mavericks. Curry admitted that it is “weird” not having Thompson as a teammate.
“It’s still weird, man,” Curry said, via Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “I really haven’t figured out the emotions yet just because it’s one of those pieces that really won’t sink in until you get into October and you go to the locker room and you’re in your familiar sights and sounds of the Chase Center. All things have to come to an end at some point. I wish it would’ve turned out differently. I wish we could have rode into the sunset, all three of us [Curry, Green and Thompson] as Warriors for our whole career.”
Thompson and Curry emerged as one of the best backcourt duos in the NBA during their time together. They were both lethal from beyond the arc, forcing opposing defenses to focus on guarding the perimeter.
Curry understands that Thompson needed a make a decision that was “best for himself,” though.
“[Thompson] made a decision that he felt was best for himself,” Curry continued. “What we were able to do for how long we were able to do it and together, it’s special and it speaks to how hard it is to do that. So, I’m going to choose to celebrate all the things we accomplished and all the experiences we had instead of feeling any type of resentment or getting pissed off about it. It’s still weird though.”
Klay Thompson leaves Warriors for Mavericks
Thompson joined the Mavs via a sign-and-and trade with the Warriors. All eyes will be on Thompson when the Mavericks and Warriors go head-to-head during the 2024-25 campaign.
Thompson is excited for a new opportunity. He is thankful for everything he accomplished in Golden State, but he wants to win his fifth career championship in Dallas.
“I was watching, just as a basketball fan,” Thompson said during his introductory press conference of watching the Mavericks-Celtics 2024 NBA Finals. “I did see, like, I could really help this team. They're right there, maybe a few pieces away. Not big adjustments but just very little adjustments from getting over the top. I mean, Dirk (Nowitzki) went through it in his first Finals, Luka (Doncic) did too. We're knocking on the door and that's what really got me excited to be here.”
Meanwhile, Curry will try to lead the Warriors without Thompson during the upcoming season. The Mavs are poised for another deep postseason run while Golden State's outlook is far more uncertain. Their dynasty is seemingly over but anything can happen with Curry leading the way.
Nevertheless, losing Thompson will present a big adjustment for Curry and the Warriors. Of course, Thompson will face an adjustment of his own as he plays for a team other than the Warriors for the first time in his NBA career.
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