Stephen Curry has played with Klay Thompson and against LeBron James for much of his career, but things have changed recently. Curry is now a teammate of LeBron on Team USA and has seen Klay leave and join the Dallas Mavericks. During an interview with Yahoo Sports, the 36-year-old was asked what was going to be more awkward, James being a teammate or Thompson not being one.
“Not having Klay, man,” Curry said. “It still hasn’t really sunk in, just because you’ve been doing it for 13 years together. Coach made a joke, he’s like, ‘Sometimes you can’t really find Klay in the offseasons and you don’t really hear from him as much. And then he shows up at training camp ready to go.’ I kind of have this idea that in October, he’ll still be like, ‘Hey guys, what’s up?’ But I know it’s not happening. That’ll sink in a little bit once training camp starts.”
It is a bit heartbreaking to hear Curry talk about how he still has this idea in his head that Thompson will be back when training camp begins. They were teammates for 13 seasons on the Warriors and the split undoubtedly would have stung the 10-time All-Star a lot, even if it hasn’t fully sunk in yet.
Thompson has joined the Mavericks on a three-year, $50 million deal, following a sign-and-trade. It is a day that Curry hoped would never come but during an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, the 36-year-old stated he understands the business side of the NBA.
“We would have loved to maintain the core and finish out together, but we obviously understand the league and things change,” Curry said. “Having Klay head on to Dallas, it’s tough. It’s something that I never imagined would be a reality, but you want him to be happy. You want him to be able to enjoy the game of basketball.
“It does suck losing Klay, and there’s no two ways around it,” Curry continued. “You have to be able to celebrate what we accomplished but then be able to move on.”
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Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added that Thompson’s first game back at Chase Center is going to be one of the strangest and most emotional nights of all their careers. That it most certainly will be.
The Warriors drafted Thompson with the 11th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft and he would go on to form one of the greatest backcourts in NBA history with Curry. The “Splash Brothers” helped revolutionize the game with their shooting prowess and won four titles together.
All good things must come to an end, though, and it’s time for both parties to move on. Thompson now shifts his focus to helping the Mavericks win a second championship in franchise history, while the Warriors aim to silence their doubters, who believe their dynasty has ended.
Will either party succeed? I must say I have my doubts. I think Thompson and the Mavericks certainly have a better chance at success, with the team getting to the NBA Finals this year. Can the five-time All-Star be the piece to get them over the line? I am not sure about that.
Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game last season. The 34-year-old wasn’t very consistent on the court and I don’t think he is going to have the kind of impact that some are expecting.
As for the Warriors, it’s hard to see them getting back on top unless they make a big move. They wanted to acquire Paul George and had they pulled off a move for him, I would have given them a shot at winning it all, even with Thompson’s departure.
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