Stephen Curry wanted to end his career alongside Klay Thompson and Draymond Green with the Golden State Warriors. During a conversation with Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill at the USA Basketball men’s national team camp in Las Vegas, Curry discussed his emotions about losing his fellow Splash Brother after Thompson departed for the Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade.
Klay Thompson's departure still hasn't sunk in for Stephen Curry
Imagining the Warriors without Thompson is difficult, given his crucial role in leading them to four championships alongside Curry and Green.
“It still hasn't really sunk in,” Curry said.
Looking at it emotionally, Thompson leaving was hard to accept. Yet from a practical standpoint regarding the Warriors' roster and their aim to build one last championship team around Curry, the decision makes a lot of sense.
“Sometimes you can't really find Klay in the off season and you don't really hear from him as much and then he shows up to the training camp ready to go,” he continued.
Curry understands the realities of today's NBA, where players often switch teams for various reasons, including financial considerations. However, despite this understanding, it's still painful for Curry to see Thompson leave after they won four championships together and revolutionized the game with their three-point shooting.
He recalled that the Warriors and Thompson couldn't reach an agreement on a contract extension last year and couldn't come to terms on a free-agent deal this summer.
The Warriors are continuing on without Klay Thompson
The Warriors faced financial constraints heading into this offseason due to the second apron of the NBA's luxury tax threshold. This prevented them from making aggressive moves, such as attempting a sign-and-trade for a guy like Paul George, as it would have incurred significant penalties for exceeding the salary cap limits.
Instead of using Chris Paul and his $30 million non-guaranteed contract in a trade for a star player, the Warriors decided to part ways with Paul. Additionally, they chose not to retain Thompson, opting instead to distribute their available funds on acquiring free agents such as De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, and Buddy Hield.
“We would have loved to maintain the core and finish out together. But we obviously understand the league & things change… It’s tough. It’s something that I never imagined would be a reality… It does suck losing Klay [Thompson],” said the greatest shooter of all time.
Thompson, at 34 years old, still ranks among the greatest shooters ever, maintaining a strong three-point shooting percentage last season with the Dubs (38.7 percent). However, age and multiple significant injuries in recent years have diminished his status as one of the top-tier three-and-d wings in the NBA.
For a team like the Mavericks, who boast playmakers like Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving that can generate open catch-and-shoot looks for Thompson, along with strong athleticism and defensive length across the roster, signing him to a three-year, $50 million contract made sense. Despite his role as a third scoring option, Thompson can still contribute significantly.
Stephen Curry remains committed to finishing his career with the team he has been a part of since the beginning.
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