People close to Klay Thompson believe his story with the Golden State Warriors is not finished. According to ESPN’s Anthony V Slater, there is a belief that Thompson could return to the Warriors one day, and the reason is pretty simple. No one has more influence on Klay than his splash brother, Stephen Curry.
One league source put it plainly, saying Curry is the one voice that truly matters if a reunion is ever going to move from idea to reality.
Thompson’s exit in the 2024 offseason ended a 13-year run that defined an era in Golden State. Four titles, a dynasty that is still unmatched in the 21st century, and the fear of the Splash Brothers came to a sudden stop. Klay chose Dallas, as he thought it would give him the best chance to win, as he would play next to Luka Doncic.
But as fate would have it, Doncic was shockingly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Mavericks have been on a downward spiral ever since.
On the court, the results have been tough. Thompson averaged 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in his first season with the Mavericks. This year, his numbers have dipped to career lows. He is putting up 11.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 37.0 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three. Both marks sit at the bottom of his career, and the struggles have only added to the sense that something feels off.
And the Mavericks have also struggled big-time as they sit 12th in the West with a 10-17 record. The Mavericks are reportedly thinking to reset the roster around Cooper Flagg, and Klay could be on the block as well.
The bond between Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green has never faded. Green has said it feels wrong seeing references to him and Curry as the league’s longest tenured duo without Thompson included. To him, it was always supposed to be three. That shared history carries weight, even after injuries, contract disputes, and front office decisions pushed Thompson out the door.
There is still bitterness tied to how the exit played out. Thompson felt pushed aside during extension talks and believed the organization moved on before fully valuing what he gave them. Even so, time has softened some of the anger.
Thompson is still in year two of his three-year, $50 million contract he signed. He will make $16.6 million this season and $17.4 million the following year, when he will turn 36. For the Warriors to get Klay back, they would either need to move Moses Moody or Buddy Hield, both of whom earn less than Klay, but are in a similar price range.
From a basketball standpoint, a trade doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Warriors are 9th in the West with a 13-14 record. And Klay has not been his usual self in years. But still, he has always played his best basketball when Curry and Green were next to him. A move back home may reenergize his career and could earn the Warriors trio a fifth title.
A reunion is not close. Thompson is still playing, still chasing wins, and still trying to carve meaning out of his later years. Curry knows it may never happen.
Still, he also knows how quickly impossible situations become real in this league. If that call ever comes, Curry has already said he would make it. And if Klay Thompson ever comes back to Golden State, it will not be because of money, numbers, or nostalgia. It will be because Steph asked him to come home.
