In an appearance on ‘The Draymond Green Show,’ former NBA All-Star Baron Davis had no problem keeping it real in front of the 4x Warriors champion. In an interesting response, he explained why the loss of Klay Thompson marks the end of the Warriors dynasty as we know it.
“I hate to see it because y’all were babies. It’s similar to how we feel about Kobe Bryant here in Los Angeles,” said Davis. “We watch y’all go from young men to men to superstars to legends. I wish Klay the best, I’m a Klay fan but… sh*t man the dynasty is over! I just don’t know how you kill a dynasty without letting your gunslingers ride off in the sunset.”
"I hate to see it… this is not the storybook ending"
—@BaronDavis gives @Money23Green his thoughts on Klay leaving the Warriors pic.twitter.com/oI8b9uiQU6
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 11, 2024
It took a lot of guts to admit the Warriors’ decline in front of one of their founding pillars but he was respectfully candid with his statement. After all the battles they’ve faced, it was crucial for the Warriors to maximize these final remaining years. Instead, the core is split and the team still falls behind some of the best in the West.
Arguably the biggest sign to date of the crumbling empire is the departure of Klay Thompson, who recently left the team to sign a deal with the Dallas Mavericks. He’ll have the fresh start he wants there but it’s hard to believe he’ll reach the same heights he did with the Warriors.
Baron Davis and Draymond Green don’t have much in common, but they can also both agree that Klay did not get the ending he deserved with the Warriors. Despite an enormous luxury tax bill and a clear decline in production, Thomson was still among the best wing players in the game with averages of 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 43.2% shooting. His status as a 4x champion alone should have been enough to secure his future there for the rest of his career.
So when negotiations started doing sour, it left Klay feeling disrespected and left out. Eventually, after over a decade alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Thompson made his departure official by announcing his new deal to join the Dallas Mavericks.
Losing Klay Thompson this summer may not have been the only sign of the Warriors’ decline but it did mark the loss of an irreplaceable member of their core and now the illusion is gone that they will ever capture the old Splash Bros magic.
Next season, with Curry, Draymond, Buddy Hield, Andrew Wiggins, and others, the hope is that the Warriors can return to a somewhat relevant state in the West but when a guy like Klay Thompson leaves for nothing in return, it tends to be a pretty big hole behind.
In a conference with the Lakers, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Mavericks, Thunder, and Suns, the margin for error has never been so slim and the Warriors cannot afford weakness at any position if they want to keep up with the best of the best. without their signature two-way shooter, it’s going to be harder for the Warriors to truly stand out from the rest as a true threat to make the Finals.
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