Is Klay Thompson Hinting Towards Leaving in Free Agency? Warriors Guard Talks About ?Savoring? the 2023-24 Season

Klay Thompson, who is in his last year of the contract, is not happy with the way the negotiations are shaping up. In the below media interaction, he comes across as a bit passive-aggressive, as he describes his new season with the Warriors. But is he overlooking the obvious? Or is he feeling the rightful anger at the treatment that was meted out to him?

By the look of things, the Golden State Warriors are already setting things in motion, which is going to be beyond the splash brothers‘?era. If not, just like Draymond, even Klay would have had his contract situation handled by now.

Klay is going to savor it

For someone who is so laid back, and always in good spirits, Klay’s response to this question comes rather uncharacteristic. But contract negotiations are quite stressful, and the expectation of a max extension could have led to this vent out.

He not only listed out all the team accolades after his arrival in the Bay Area, but also wanted the world to recognize him as one of the founding members of the dynasty. And the NBA world does not dispute any of his claims. But what has to happen for Klay to feel validated, and more importantly, for the Warriors to show him the respect?

As far as the Warrior No. 11 is concerned, he is just “going to savor?this season as no one knows what is going to happen in the future.”

The year was 2011 when Klay Thompson got drafted to the Warriors. That year, the Golden State team had a 23-win record, and they were fourth in the Pacific division. Regardless of their abysmal performance, that season saw the coming together of the Splash brothers. And in the subsequent season, the Warriors also drafted Draymond Green.

This addition brought together the lethal core that formed the foundation of the Golden State Warriors dynasty and won them their first championship in 2015.

The New Golden State Warriors story

The year was 2009, and the Dub nation was still reminiscing about the “We Believe” era when the Warriors drafted a scrawny kid from Davidson, who was the son of an NBA player. Needless to say, it was the No.30 Stephen Curry. Steph came to a Warriors team that lacked an identity of its own. This team had some veterans and a talented point guard in Monta Ellis. But within a few years, Steph became the primary point guard, and the Dubs became the Stephen Curry team.

If 2009 brought Curry to the Bay, 2010 saw the Warriors ownership change hands, and the arrival of the visionary Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. Once Joe and Peter set foot in the Dub Nation, the Warriors could no longer be a mediocre team. In a quick 3 or 4-year period, they brought in the right talents that would turn the fortunes of the Warrior nation. And it was this ownership group that drafted Klay Thompson with their eleventh overall pick in 2011.

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In 2011, the Warriors also made a coaching change, and hired Mark Jackson as their new head coach. He was the first to see the lethal combination of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry’s prowess and declared that Curry-Thompson combo as “the greatest shooting back court of all time.” Thus, the splash brothers became a thing and never looked back since then.

Mark Jackson also etched out a defensive approach that created a perfect marriage of offense and defense. And that helped unleash Draymond Green’s full potential. With such a promise, the Warriors became a contending team that found itself in the playoffs. But the Warriors ownership wanted more. They wanted to turn this playoff team into a Championship front runner and chose Steve Kerr for that mission. Thus, Mark Jackson had to make way.

Like Mark, is it time for Klay to make way for the next generation players?

Father Time

Before the injuries, Klay Thompson was a beast on both ends of the floor. He would not only bury the opponents with his 3-point shots but also would lock the opposite team’s best player with his defense. Though he has had a good regular season last year, he is not the old Klay that the NBA world is used to. It became all the more evident in the playoffs when Stephen Curry had to carry the team all alone. Except for some sporadic performances, for two consecutive seasons Klay has come up short from the high standards that he has set for himself.

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The Dub Nation celebrates Klay, and he is a first ballot Hall of Famer. But those accolades alone will not determine his future with the Warriors. Sooner than later, the Warriors will make some drastic changes to utilize the final years of Stephen Curry’s prime. Klay will always be special for his exploits, but unfortunately, Father Time was unkind to him. Yet let’s hope that he remains a Warrior for life.