Many believe that Klay Thompson leaving the Warriors is inevitable, with ESPN‘s Zach Lowe suggesting that both the team and Klay are preparing for a split.
“It sounds like they’re emotionally prepared for the possibility,” Lowe said on Get Up. “And I think there’s some hurt feelings on both sides that need to be mended for this reunion to take place. We’re going to know a lot on Friday. June 20, there’s a deadline for Chris Paul’s contract to be guaranteed for $30 million or for the Warriors to essentially waive him. In between now and then, the Warriors can work to find trades for Chris Paul that bring back somebody who can help their team. If they bring in another high-price player, it just becomes financially very difficult to keep this whole team together.
“They don’t want to pay this gigantic tax bill for a team that struggles just to make the playoffs. And Klay, everybody needs shooting, he can fit anywhere. It’s just a matter of who has the money and the means to go get him and give him what he wants. I look at [the] Denver [Nuggets] for instance. If Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leaves Denver, is that a fit for Klay Thompson? What’s his priority? Is it money? Winning? Going back to Golden State?”
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum believes that Klay’s discontent with the Warriors is largely due to being demoted to a bench role in the 2023-24 season.
This could be a significant factor in Thompson’s desire to become a free agent.
“I think it may be time for both parties to look at other options. I think that’s what they’re doing right now,” McCollum said on NBA Today. “You go from arguably the greatest run the game has ever seen — Klay was a huge part of that [with] his threes and defense, hitting big shots. To be treated the way he was treated this last year-and-a-half or so, I looked at it as disrespect from the outside looking in. I think he may have taken it that way as well.”
Steve Kerr expressed his desperation to have Thompson back.
However, as time passes, the Dubs and Klay seem to be moving further apart in reaching a deal.
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