Does money always buy happiness? For some, yes. For Klay Thompson, however, that answer might vary. Having recently signed a 3-year, $50 million contract, the player has secured a pay raise over the next few years by partnering up with the Dallas Mavericks. However, the same has also come at a big loss, as he not only had to bid adieu to the Golden State Warriors, his team for over 13 years, but also to the teammates alongside whom he had carved his NBA career.

Unfortunately, Thompson’s unhappiness and discontent may not have been directly linked with the money. Yesterday, ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst discussed Thompson’s state of mind alongside co-hosts Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon. MacMahon highlighted that even though Stephen Curry may have attempted to interfere in the contract negotiations between Thompson and the Warriors management, it did not bear much fruit. In the end, it came down to whether the player felt valued enough to continue with the same team.

“It’s tough when you have that much success and that much, you know, emotional and ‘sweat equity’ with somebody, and it just reaches a point where Klay Thompson was miserable in Golden State,” said MacMahon. “And, you know the way somebody explained to me was ‘Hey he was miserable making $43 Million last year.’ Even if they had to come back and outbid the Mavericks like……. if he was miserable making 43, he’d been miserable making, you know, 20 25 whatever the number would have been. And it just reached a point where Klay Thompson decided ‘I’ve got to get a fresh start.’”

MacMahon’s remarks come just as his co-workers, Ramona Shelburne, and Kendra Andrews, released a report about the player’s exit. According to it, Thompson had become quite easy to read during his last season with the Warriors. The ‘miserable’ look on his face became quite apparent to his close ones. All of it was reportedly linked to the fact that the Warriors weren’t willing to offer him a contract extension that he could gladly accept. Furthermore, after Draymond Green was handed a 4 year, $100 million deal, it all turned into a matter of whether Joe Lacob and the rest of the Warriors management were willing to show him respect.

“Thompson had felt disrespected, sources said, that the team didn’t offer him an extension the summer after it won that (2022 championship) title,” wrote Shelburne and Andrews. “That feeling only deepened the following summer when Golden State was only willing to discuss two-year contracts in the range of $23 million to $24 million.”

The closest reported deal that the Warriors offered the player was a 2-year, $48 million extension. No better deal came his way once the same was rejected. More than the money, it mattered that Thompson was not being given a contract for a much longer duration. Now, with the Dallas Mavericks, the shooting guard is set to earn $50 million for the next 3 years.

Steph Curry defends the Warriors, believes that the offer made to Klay Thompson was “Fair”

No one would have been more upset with Klay Thompson’s departure than Warriors lead scorer Stephen Curry. With a partnership that spanned for over 13 years, the ‘Splash Brothers’ had found immense success together and led the franchise to one of its best eras. Despite this, Curry didn’t hesitate to mention that his former teammate may have been a bit unreasonable.

In a recent interview with ‘The Athletic’ reporter Sam Amick, the 36-year-old player revealed: “I do know about the extension last fall, and thinking that, that was a fair offer that signified what Klay meant — outside of the length of the contract, which I know was a big deal (to Thompson).”

Curry based his viewpoint around the fact that the Golden State Warriors are not just a sports team but also a “business”, and that he, Thompson, and Draymond Green aren’t the only three players that need to be prioritized. Therefore, Curry wasn’t glad when things didn’t go the way that things expected.

“I wish it would have gone differently, in the sense of whatever Klay needed to not feel disrespected. I can’t answer that, because that’s a Klay thing to talk about,” Curry added. “But I also know that because he needed a fresh start, things were kind of looked at a little differently.”

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.