Draymond Green Addresses Klay Thompson’s Departure with Cam Newton at ESPYS Red Carpet

The 2024 edition of the ESPY Awards just wrapped up in Las Vegas and the event was surely a memorable one. While tennis legend Serena Williams hosted the show inside the Dolby Theatre, former NFL MVP Cam Newton carried out interviewing duties on the Red Carpet outside. Newton had a plethora of interesting conversations during the red carpet-event. But it was his heart-to-heart interaction with Warriors Forward Draymond Green that stole the show.

Green was in attendance for this year’s ESPY Awards and it’s fair to say that he was expecting some uncomfortable questions to be thrown his way. Quite inevitably, during his Red Carpet interview, Newton asked him point blank, “I have to ask…Klay?”

The 34-year-old paid a nice tribute to his former teammate without making his departure from Golden State seem unceremonious. Green responded thoughtfully, saying,

“Oh, Man, Klay. You know what we did some great stuff together. I was telling someone the other day-like we had a great run, 12 years. I’d rather us be remembered as dominant as we were, and the champions that we were than trying to just piece it all together and going out limping.”

This wasn’t the first time Green addressed Klay Thompson’s departure. He had done so previously on his podcast, but this time he seemed more understanding of the situation. In fact, the 2017 DOPY seemed glad that things ended as they did, indicating that he would rather have things end this way than see the end of a tandem that is already falling apart.

Green also used the occasion to respond to the claim that the Warriors dynasty was “over”. The four-time NBA Champion tactfully said, “Dynasties don’t die. Dynasties are made and they live on.”

While Klay Thompson has found a new home in Dallas, the Warriors surely have a lot to figure out this offseason. They will have to make some big moves to put some pieces around Steph Curry. Otherwise the Dubs dynasty will be a relic of the past no matter what Green says.