Klay Thompson's departure from the Golden State Warriors may be mutually beneficial, but that doesn't mean that there is no air of sadness in the aftermath of their breakup 13 years into the relationship. Thompson endured a rough 2023-24 campaign with the Warriors and became scapegoated for the team's struggles in ways that didn't seem fair. In particular, one reporter came out and said that Thompson was “equally exhausting” as Draymond Green was for the Warriors last season.

This allegation, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN, may be uncalled for. While there were moments last season where Thompson did not help matters at all for a struggling Warriors team, he should not be painted as the main culprit for the things that doomed the Dubs last season. This is especially the case when Green was guilty of actions that were more damaging to the team than anything Thompson did.

“Klay's not the one who punched his teammate in practice and knocked him out in full view of everybody on the team. Klay's not the only one whose play has declined significantly since the 2022 title in their starting lineup,” Lowe said on the most recent episode of his podcast, The Lowe Post.

“Klay's not the one who choked Rudy Gobert, and then swung at Jusuf Nurkić and got suspended indefinitely, and then came back and tried to spin the suspension as like, ‘Well this was good for the team because we discovered how good [Jonathan] Kuminga is.'”

Having poor body language may have been Klay Thompson's worst offense last season with the Warriors. He was forcing a ton of tough shots as he struggled to come to terms with the fact that he is on a steep decline, and his shoulders would slump whenever he was benched due to his subpar play. But all of this merely makes Thompson, a former star who hasn't quite fully accepted yet his new place in the NBA's totem pole, a human being who's processing his feelings.

“I find that all human and he wore it on his sleeve, like there were some very, very sort of nakedly emotional press conferences and scenes on the bench where you could see it wearing on him,” Lowe added.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the Warriors' decline last season. Klay Thompson's play did not help matters at all. But the discussion surrounding his final year with the Dubs shouldn't be blown out of proportion.

Warriors commit to Draymond Green… but not to Klay Thompson

Last year, the Warriors were faced with a tough decision — do they pay Draymond Green in free agency or let him walk? They decided to bring him back on a four-year, $100 million deal; this was a smart move at the time, as they would find it difficult to replace Green's defensive versatility and playmaking.

Alas, 2023 became a nightmare really quickly for Green and the Warriors. Green was already cementing his reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the association; he punched former teammate Jordan Poole in practice back in 2022 and then stamped on Domantas Sabonis during the 2023 NBA playoffs. But then to end 2023, he was guilty of putting Rudy Gobert on a choke hold as well as decking Jusuf Nurkic with a wild flail straight towards the Phoenix Suns center's head.

Draymond Green became a huge distraction; not only did he cost the Warriors its best defensive player due to the suspensions he racked up, he also became the subject of plenty of negative attention from fans and pundits alike. The Dubs went 13-14 without Green compared to a 33-22 record with him.

Meanwhile, Klay Thompson's place on the Warriors wasn't as secure. After rejecting the two-year, $48 million extension the Warriors offered, the Dubs went out and saw rookie Brandin Podziemski emerge as a legitimate option for the team to start at the shooting guard position. Moreover, the Warriors still have Moses Moody as well to fill some minutes at the two.

Perhaps the Dubs saw Thompson as the more replaceable player; on cue this offseason, the Dubs are set to bring in Buddy Hield, the rare player who could go toe-to-toe with Thompson in a three-point shootout, and De'Anthony Melton — two shooting guard replacements.

Meanwhile, Green, as a 6'6 forward who can defend anybody on the court, simply has a more secure place on the team. Thus, the Warriors, perhaps, find it easier to stomach Green's shenanigans due to his indispensability, skillset-wise. But this doesn't mean that Green wasn't totally more exhausting to deal with last season than Klay Thompson was.