Getty Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are dealing with some struggles this season, spearheaded by an injury to Stephen Curry, which will see the star point guard miss a few weeks. But despite their current problems, they still have a solid foundation.
However, there could be a chance that their core will get broken up in the coming years. According to sources who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, there could be a chance that Klay Thompson leaves the Warriors at the end of his current contract.
“He could consider it,” a Western Conference executive said. “You know, he grew up with his dad as a player, mostly for the Lakers, so they’re a team he could look to leave for. And he grew up near Portland, so the Blazers, there has been talk he wants to play for them. But really, he is kind of engrained in the Warriors now. He is such a part of that team and the culture, everything he went through with the injuries, and just his whole laid-back attitude and approach. They love him. It would be hard to imagine him actually suiting up in another uniform.”
Thompson has been with the Warriors for his entire career, and despite his ties to the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers, most would assume that he’ll be a Warrior for the remainder of his career. But with him only getting older and Golden State’s young core in need of minutes, there’s a chance the two sides part ways.
The veteran star has had a rocky season this year, as it’s his first full season since his two major injuries. Thompson has appeared in 26 of the team’s 33 games and is playing 30.8 minutes per contest. He’s averaging 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 39.9% shooting from the field and 37.8% shooting from behind the three-point line.
‘Pretty Strong’ Chance Draymond Green Leaves Warriors
While Thompson’s future with the Warriors was called into question, as his connections to the Lakers and Trail Blazers could play a factor in his career decisions, the general consensus is that he’ll most likely remain with Golden State. The same cannot be said for his long-time teammate.
According to another executive who spoke with Deveney, there is a “pretty strong” chance that Draymond Green will leave the Warriors.
“Pretty strong,” a West exec said of Green’s chances to leave the Warriors. “If they win a championship again this year, there will be pressure to keep things together, but the stuff with the punch [on Jordan Poole] in the preseason, that probably put the nail in it. There was already a good chance he would go just because his production is not what it was and he is getting older [32]. It would be hard to justify paying him $20-something-million a year.”
Stephen Curry Committed to Long Career
As for the third member of the Warriors’ long-time trio, Curry recently revealed that he plans on playing in the league for a long, long time.
“I talked to Tom Brady at one point about he’s, you know, at the point in his career where he’s still playing at a high level at, what, 44 or whatever it is. And his example and his advice was just to take it a year at a time,” Curry explained. “There’s no way to fast forward. It’s not how you got to this point, so don’t rush yourself and think about how long you can do it. Your body will tell you, and I don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon.”