Klay Thompson is likely heading elsewhere this offseason, as his move to the Dallas Mavericks has reached its final stage. With reports that this was all about the money swirling around, many have hit out at the Golden State Warriors for letting this happen. Worse yet, Richard Jefferson recently revealed a conversation between him and the former Warrior, which put into perspective just how twisted this situation had really gotten.
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Thompson was one of the most important pieces of Golden State’s dynastical run. Demanding a certain level of respect for it, the player felt that the money that was being offered to him was too little, admitted Jefferson, a former NBA player turned analyst.
The former Cleveland Cavalier spoke about a conversation that the two had on Christmas 2023. In it, there was a rather strong reaction from Klay, which made it clear that he was beyond sick and tired of the whole ordeal. Jefferson said,
“Getting off the elevator, Christmas day… of this past year. I get off the elevator, and I see Klay. ‘[unintelligible] Klay, what’s up?!’. He said, ‘what’s up, man?’. I’m like, ‘Hey man, keep your mentals right’. He’s like, ‘Man, tell ’em to pay me my money!’. This was on Christmas day!”
"[Klay] turned their franchise around. That franchise is worth billions of dollars not just because of Stephen Curry. It's also because of Klay." 👀 @Rjeff24 says Klay Thompson had a right to be mad with the Warriors during his contract negotiations ✍️ pic.twitter.com/IqlVD0BnKs
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 2, 2024
Thompson may not be the player he used to be. However, it does seem incredibly disingenuous for Golden State to treat one of the most important players in their history in the way that they did.
As Kendrick Perkins went on to say on the show, Thompson has done too much for the franchise to be made to feel this way. He then further pointed out that the Warriors weren’t looking forward to the future when they paid Draymond Green. Instead, they respected what he had done for them, by giving him the number he wanted. And to be fair to Big Perk, he has a point.
The Golden State Warriors have been hypocritical in who they offer money
The Golden State Warriors won their last championship in 2022. Since then, despite Stephen Curry still going strong, the franchise as a whole has been in a sharp decline. Yet, this hasn’t stopped the team from paying their players handsomely.
Curry is on a four-year, $215 million contract, one that he more than deserves considering his incredible production. Draymond Green is on a four-year, $100 million contract, which is the number he wanted and received, despite his clear decline over the last five years.
Even Andrew Wiggins, who has only won one title with the Dubs, was given a four-year, $109 million extension by the Warriors. Yet, the franchise couldn’t extend this habit to Klay Thompson.
Per CBS Sports, they offered Klay a two-year contract worth $48 million, refusing to go higher than that, likely anticipating the player’s market value, rather than his value to them.
Eventually, Thompson received a three-year, $50 million offer from the Dallas Mavericks, something that he has reportedly accepted, and set to make official soon. While the Splash Brother is happy with the money he has received, this marks a disappointing ending to what was a run for the ages. And the Golden State Warriors have not a single soul apart from themselves to blame.
