In the most recent episode of his podcast, Warriors star Draymond Green gave his first public comment on the situation involving Klay Thompson. Draymond opened his show with the topic, but he refused to provide any insight into what was going on.
“I know all of you were probably looking forward to me talking about Klay unfollowing the Warriors and deleting some IG posts or something. I had no idea that happened,” said Green. “I think it’s f**king hilarious. Just so y’all know, I laughed. When I logged on here Jackson was like, ‘Yo what about Klay’ and I’m like ‘What happened?’ He’s like, ‘Yo he unfollowed the Warriors.’ I think that’s comical. I know you all want somebody’s feelings to be hurt or something but it ain’t that and it ain’t ever gonna be that. That’s hilarious.”
.@money23green on Klay unfollowing the Warriors 😂 pic.twitter.com/CkdPZSwDeX
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 15, 2024
Green, a former Defensive Player of the Year, and Thompson have been teammates for over a decade and they won four championships together alongside 2x MVP Stephen Curry. But at 34 years old and coming off of two major injuries, Klay isn’t as effective as he used to be on the court and it’s creating some problems in contract negotiations.
So when Thompson inexplicably deleted any association with the Warriors from his Instagram account, it caused an uproar across the NBA. Fans far and wide assumed that it was a sign of Thompson’s impending exit from the franchise and Dub Nation was preparing for the worst.
But Green’s response tells me that this may be nothing more than a public negotiation tactic. If Draymond finds this funny, it could be because the media has blown this entire ordeal out of proportion.
Klay, who averaged 17.9 points per game this season, has been silent on this controversy but it’s no secret that he’s open to a breakup if he finds a team willing to pay him what he thinks he’s worth.
From the Warriors’ perspective, it makes sense that they would hesitate to offer such a large contract to someone who is clearly past his prime and who will not help improve the team to make one last championship run.
But after such a strong history together, the front office and the fans have developed a tight bond with Klay and it won’t be easy to let him go. Even in his current state, Thompson is highly coveted across the league and the Warriors are doing whatever they can to keep him on their financial terms.
No doubt, Draymond, Steph, and head coach Steve Kerr will be putting pressure on the front office to keep the 6’6″ swingman but it may be out of their hands now. If a team like the Magic or the 76ers comes up with a monster offer, it’s possible that GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. could be unable or unwilling to match.
It’s still too early to speak on the downfall of the Warriors, but losing Klay would be the end of a historic era for the franchise and the ultimate reminder that their glory days have long since passed. But if they can keep everyone together and tweak the supporting cast, you can’t count out this group to make one last stand before it’s all said and done.
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