Getty Warriors stars Klay Thompson (left) and Draymond Green
The Warriors wound up the 2023-24 season with disappointment, finishing the year at 46-36 and nabbing the final play-in spot with the No. 10 overall seed. A blowout loss to the Kings ended the Dubs’ season without a playoff spot, and opened the way for a heap of uncertainty.
If Warriors fans feel they’re not sure what will be coming next for Golden State, they can take some comfort—maybe—in knowing they’re not alone. Even star forward Draymond Green says he is not sure what will happen with the team, especially with star guard Klay Thompson heading into free agency.
There is no shortage of decisions for head coach Steve Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., with Thompson highlighting the way.
“These are the decisions we have to make. I am happy I ain’t got the job, it’s all on Steve. But Steve’s great in those situations and I think he’ll make him,” Green said in the latest “Draymond Green Show” podcast. “Mike’s doing a great job. It’ll be very important for us to try to get Klay back. I think that’s huge—what does Klay do? If Klay decides not to come back, what does that look like for us? Are you swinging to try to get another big guy, like what does that look like?
“There are some decisions that have to be made for us, and I trust and know that our front office and our coaching staff will make the right decisions. But I think we still got a small window to make something happen.”
Warriors Will Have Competition in Free Agency
Thompson heads into the summer a free agent for the first time since 2019, having turned down a two-year extension offer before the start of last season. The Warriors hope to keep Thompson while also getting themselves underneath the league’s luxury tax limit, a pair of goals that could both be achievable if Thompson’s salary does not come in too high.
Thompson is expected to draw interest from teams with cap space to spend, most notably the Magic, Thunder and Sixers.
Even bringing back Thompson won’t necessarily settle the Warriors’ issues, though. If Thompson is back, what does that mean for fellow guards Brandin Podziemski, who had a solid rookie year, and Moses Moody? Could Thompson move to the bench, where he spent a shot stretch this year?
Green is curious.
“I think for us, it’s gonna be very important for us to define who it is we’re gonna be,” Green said. “We are changing, bro. We are getting older. We are not the same basketball team we were in 2019 or even 2022 for that matter. It changes. We’re adjusting to that change. Steve, I think is doing an incredible job where he is becoming more open to like, Jonathan Kuminga having the ball more. Kuminga being in the pick-and-roll. Running some isos for Kuminga.
“For us, it is important for us to shore up—championships are won, 6-through-10. Championships are not won 1-through-5. So it is on us to shore up and make the decision, what does our 6-to-10 look like? What does our 1-to-5 look like?”
Klay Thompson an All-Time Great Shooter
Thompson has a sterling resume, of course. He has made 2,481 3-pointers in his career, No. 6 on the all-time list, and has done so making 41.3% from the arc. He made 301 3-pointers in 2022-23, one of only three players in league history to hit that mark.
Alas, his last memory of his mostly disappointing 2023-24 season will go down as a bitter one. He scored zero points on 0-for-10 shooting, was a minus-12 in the box score and missed all six of his 3-point attempts. The Warriors got drubbed by the Kings, 118-94, in the second play-in game in the Western Conference, ending Golden State’s season.
Thompson wrapped up the 2023-24 season with 17.9 points per game on 43.2% shooting and 38.7% 3-point shooting. It was a wildly inconsistent season, though Thompson had appeared to be heading to a strong finish. After a bench stint, he returned to the starting lineup for the final 10 games and averaged 21.8 points on 49.1% shooting and 41.6% 3-point shooting.