Getty Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
No team around the league has been as successful as the Golden State Warriors for the past decade. Their title last year marked the fourth in eight seasons, and the trio of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson have established themselves as one of the greatest in league history.
All three stars are entering the latter half of their prime, yet they still look as though they’re talented enough to continue their winning ways. But what about moving forward? Well, head coach Steve Kerr has a prediction for where each of them will be in 20 years.
“Draymond will be coaching in the NBA,” Kerr told Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s going to get away from playing, he’ll retire, he’ll go into TV for a while, he’ll be wildly successful. And then he’s gonna get bored because he’s gonna miss the competition. So he’s gonna go coach. Steph will be on the senior tour playing golf. And Klay will be sailing around the world, and nobody will be able to find him.”
Kerr’s predictions for all three Warriors stars are perfectly in line with their respective personalities. Green is very outspoken and can oftentimes be seen building up his teammates. A career in media seems more than likely, considering he already hosts a podcast.
As for Curry, he hosts a golf program already and constantly partakes in competitions himself. He’s consistently heralded as one of the best golfers in the NBA. Then there’s Thompson, who keeps to himself and is extremely quiet. Combine that with his clear love for boats and Kerr’s prediction tracks.
‘Pretty Strong’ Chance Draymond Green Leaves Warriors
Kerr’s predictions were for the distant future, but that doesn’t give any indication as to what the team’s immediate future looks like. There are still some questions to be had regarding contract extensions when it comes to Green and Thompson.
According to sources who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, there is a “pretty strong” chance that Green will leave the Warriors at the end of his current contract.
“Pretty strong,” a Western Conference executive 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.”
Klay Thompson ‘Could Consider’ Leaving Warriors
As for Thompson, his future with the team could already be in question. According to other sources who spoke with Deveney, there’s a chance that Thompson “could consider” leaving Golden State at the end of his current deal.
“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.”
