It’s been more than a week since Klay Thompson exited the Golden State and forged a new partnership with the Mavericks. Despite this, the deep wound left behind is refusing to heal! Along with the fans, several members of the Warriors roster couldn’t fathom that the shooting guard closed the curtain on his 13-year journey in the Bay Area. Steph recently highlighted being in denial, stating, “I kind of have this idea that in October, he’ll still like, you know, ‘Hey guy, what’s up.’”

Now, it seems like Green has also joined the same boat. Showing up to root for his young teammates during the Summer League games, Draymond was approached by ESPN journalist Cassidy Hubbarth for a Q&A. When discussing his ‘emotional’ feelings about Klay Thompson’s exit, the power forward proceeded to say, “It’s a classic tale of, uh, suppressing your emotions right now. I haven’t really allowed myself to process it. I don’t want to.”

“I feel like il face it when I have to face it. But nonetheless, I’m happy for Klay.” Though it may have not been his intention, Draymond Green may have unintentionally sparked the event that ultimately led to Thompson’s exit. As his maximum contract with GSW ended in 2023, the player went on to sign a 4-year extension.

However, the best offer that the franchise could present the Splash Brother with was a 2-year, $48 million contract. It’s being highly speculated that there was unrest in the locker room because of the disparity in both offers presented by the front office, and Klay may have taken it as a sign of disrespect.

As free agency approached, the parties couldn’t reach a mutual agreement. Stephen Curry, who was reportedly asked by Klay Thompson to stay away from the negotiations, would later highlight his belief that the earlier offer made to his teammate, with the odd exception of the time length, was “fair.” In the end, the Mavericks took the shooting guard in under a 3-year, $50,000,000 contract.

Draymond Green did not attempt to make Klay Thompson stay with the Warriors

Draymond Green may never have been as close to Klay Thompson as Stephen Curry. After all, it was the duo and not the trio that were known as the ‘Splash Brothers.’ Despite this, the three of them played an almost equal role in ushering the best era in Warriors history, allowing the franchise to win 4 NBA championships, 6 conference titles, and 5 division titles. By Feb, Steph had affirmed his faith that the trio would retire together.

Despite this, when the time came, Draymond did not choose to interfere in his teammate’s final decision. He revealed getting the phone call from Klay Thompson about his decision while he was headed to his daughter’s recital. “It wasn’t like a, ‘Yo we should finish like this,’ or a, ‘You should rethink this,’ it was just like a, ‘Wow, yeah, alright, like, congrats, bro, I’m happy for you,” DG said.

“I didn’t even attempt to want to talk him out of leaving. To see him struggle the way he did last year … I’d hope the care that you would have for that person would go far beyond what you may feel is best for you or what you want to see.”

There is no denying that Klay Thompson was facing his share of struggles. From the long recovery from his multiple injuries to facing a slight decline in production to Steve Kerr starting rookie Brandin Podziemski over him, the player’s value seemed to have diminished a bit. While Stephen Curry and Draymond Green may soon recover and move on, that lingering thought of ‘What could have been?’ will sting.Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.