Getty Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson reacts during a bout with the Phoenix Suns.
The 941-day odyssey that Klay Thompson endured en route to making his return to the Golden State Warriors this season is already the stuff of legend. That Thompson has resembled the player he was before the injury saga makes his story one of basketball’s ultimate comeback tales.
And things continue to trend in an incredibly positive direction, as the five-time All-Star averaged 36.7 points over his final three appearances of the regular season.
Nevertheless, questions abound regarding Thompson’s ability to be the two-way maven he once was on a consistent basis; not just during Golden State’s upcoming playoff run, but next season and onward into the future.
With that being the case, one pundit believes that the Dubs and their GM, Bob Myers, should cash in on Klay Thompson — as well as former No. 2 pick James Wiseman — to bring in an all-everything big man. Namely, Lakers star Anthony Davis.
Cowherd Pitches Blockbuster Trade
On a recent episode of his show, The Herd, FS1’s Colin Cowherd broke down the situation in La La Land, where the Lakers have fired Frank Vogel and are bearing the look of a franchise on the downward spiral. His solution to all that ails them: call up the Warriors and pitch Davis for Thompson, Wiseman and perhaps a pick or two.
Cowherd made an emphatic case for why this would help Golden State as much as Los Angeles, opining that the deal would clear room for Jordan Poole — not just in terms of dollars and cents, but also with his minutes and role on the team.
He further opined that Wiseman is an unknown quantity, while Davis would get them a bona fide star in the pivot. The former MVP candidate may not play in every game for his new team — he’s only appeared in more than 56 games once in the last four seasons — but Cowherd’s assertion is that he would play in those that matter.
Regardless of what one thinks of the oft-injured AD at this point, there’s definitely something to be said for his rationale on the whole.
Over the Dubs’ last 20 games, Poole led the team in scoring at 25.4 PPG on Steph Curry-like shooting splits of 48-43-92. He performed well as a primary ball-handler and distributor, too. Alas, the Warriors are overcrowded on the wing with Poole, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, et al. So, something has to give if they want the 22-year-old’s star turn to continue.
Meanwhile, the fact that Wiseman has only appeared in 39 games since getting drafted in 2020 is a problem. As such, the Warriors may stand to benefit from swapping him out for a steady and seasoned hand.
With all of that being said, though, it’s difficult to see the Warriors making this kind of deal.
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A Problematic Proposal
Cowherd sought the opinion of hoops analyst Ric Bucher after pitching the trade on his show. And while Bucher confessed that he didn’t hate the concept, he was skeptical about the Warriors’ willingness to part with Thompson. He’s right to feel that way, too.
Given the baller’s 11-year history with Golden State, his status as a three-time champion and elite-level player (when healthy), as well as the fact that the club gave him a five-year, $190 million contract after he tore his ACL in the 2019 Finals, it would be shocking for Myers and Co. to just give up on him after just 32 games and a playoff run.
Even if clearing room for Poole is the priority, the team is far likelier to shop Wiggins than Thompson.
In the same vein, the team didn’t appear to have any interest in shopping Wiseman at the deadline, so they’re probably not looking to give up on him, either.
It’s also worth mentioning that any deal that sees the Warriors jettisoning multiple players without shedding significant salary makes roster construction a dicey proposition. As it stands, the team is deep into the luxury tax with just eight players under contract for next season. Cowherd’s deal would drop that number to seven.
Finally, the salaries involved in the trade are such that another team would have to be involved or Los Angeles would have to find some other way to send out at least $2.6 million for matching purposes. Thompson has a 15% trade kicker as well.
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