Getty Klay Thompson looking frustrated.
New Orleans Pelicans star CJ McCollum said he thinks Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson felt “disrespect” from the franchise, McCollum said in a conversation on the June 25 episode of “NBA Today” on ESPN.
After spending the first 12 seasons of his NBA career in a Warriors uniform, Thompson could be playing elsewhere starting with the 2024-25 season. Reports as recent as June 25 have indicated that Thompson, a free agent in the 2024 offseason, is far from reaching a new agreement with the franchise he helped win four NBA titles.
While finances could be the main reason for Thompson’s potential exit, McCollum speculated that the Warriors’ decision to bring Thompson off the bench rather than starting him in 14 of his 77 games in the 2023-24 season offended the veteran sharpshooter.
McCollum highlighted that Golden State replaced Thompson with a rookie, Brandin Podziemski, in the starting unit.
“You go from arguably the greatest run the game has ever seen based on what they were doing collectively — Klay was a huge part of that [with his] threes, defense, hitting big shots,” McCollum said. “To be treated the way he was treated this last year-and-a-half or so, I think I looked at it as disrespect from the outside looking in. I think he may have taken it that way as well.”
Warriors, Klay Thompson Breakup Inevitable?
McCollum added that “a change of scenery” could bode well not just for Thompson but also for the Warriors, who could potentially give more playing time to their young core of Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody if Thompson departed.
“That may be one of the reasons why they’re exploring all the options,” McCollum said. “Sometimes, a change of scenery is good for everybody involved. Maybe that’s something they’re just talking through and trying to explore.”
If the 12-year relationship between Thompson and the Warriors were to end, it would mark one of the biggest tragedies in modern NBA history. In previous interviews, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green — the other two core members of the Warriors dynasty — spoke of their desire to ride off into the sunset with Thompson.
After the Warriors’ 2023-24 season ended on April 17, an emotional Curry said he could never see himself stepping onto a basketball career without Thompson or Green as his teammates.
Steph Curry on Draymond/Klay: “I can never see myself not with those two guys.”
Are big changes needed? “I just want to win.”
To make matters worse, Thompson’s possible final game as a Warrior would be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The veteran sharpshooter shot 0-for-10 from the field as the Warriors were eliminated from postseason contention.
Klay Thompson went SCORELESS in the Warriors elimination game tonight 😬
Warriors Ready to Usher in a New Era?
Thompson’s potential departure could usher in a new era of Warriors basketball, an expected outcome after the franchise’s back-to-back disappointing seasons in 2023 and 2024. In fact, Warriors front-office head Mike Dunleavy Jr. hinted at the Warriors going in a new direction during his press conference on June 24.
Dunleavy said it was difficult for the Warriors to “completely strip the emotion” away from the potential decision to let Thompson walk, but conceded the NBA “is a business” first and foremost. The comments led many to believe that the Warriors were preparing for the inevitable.
“I think it’s about what the right thing that works for the franchise and the player and the role he is in,” Dunleavy told reporters. “Factoring all of those things in is what’s most important, and that’s what is taking place and what we’re looking at.”
According to multiple insiders, teams such as the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to pursue Thompson in free agency.