Klay Thompson has made the headlines with his recent decision to join the Dallas Mavericks. This move has ended his 13-year-long connection with the Golden State Warriors while marking the conclusion of the franchise’s Big Three. Shortly after, Draymond Green opened up about this trade while revealing why he refused to persuade the 34-year-old to stay.
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In the latest The Draymond Green Show episode, he outlined how the lackluster performances of last season fueled Thompon’s decision. As a result, Green intentionally didn’t interfere with the latter’s thought process. The 4x champion believed it to be the best possible solution for his long-time teammate, stating,
“The highs and the lows of last year I think was very hard on Klay.. When he called me I didn’t even attempt to wanna talk him out of leaving… because to see him struggle the way he did last year, if you ever care about someone’s well-being.. I hope that care you would have for that person would go far beyond what you may feel is best for you or what you wanna see”.
These words pointed toward the root cause of this separation. Despite beginning last season as a starting guard for the Warriors, Thompson’s inconsistency initially resulted in him losing this spot to a rookie Brandin Podziemski. Following this, even though he returned to the starting lineup, the 5x All-Star lived on the edge for the rest of the campaign.
Additionally, his underwhelming season average of 17.9 points per game diminished his chances of landing the desired contract offer from the franchise. On top of this, the Warriors, at this stage, prioritized retaining the young core of Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kumniga over an aging Thompson. All these gradually pushed Thompson toward the exit, severing his ties with the organization.
Green’s words, consequently, remained justified. Thompson undoubtedly needed a fresh start. Interestingly, the latter believed in the same, making the departure even more heartbreaking yet understandable for the Dub nation.
