The NBA trade deadline is still four days away, but one prominent analyst and former champion can’t believe Klay Thompson is still a member of the Golden State Warriors.
Kendrick Perkins, who works for ESPN and won a title as a member of the 2007-08 Boston Celtics, took to social media on Sunday, February 4, to express his dismay with the Dubs’ refusal to part ways with the second Splash Brother.
“I’m watching Hawks vs. Warriors and don’t understand why Golden State is prolonging this relationship with Klay,” Perkins wrote. “Stop the bleeding! I still believe that Klay can be the Klay of old … he just need a change of scenery.”
Klay Thompson Having Worst Shooting Year of NBA Career
Thompson went 4-of-19 from the field against Atlanta on Saturday night, including 2-of-13 from deep, scoring 10 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists.
His struggles against the Hawks were emblematic of Thompson’s troubles all season long. The shooting guard, widely regarded as one of the best pure shooters of the basketball in league history, is shooting a career-low 37.4% from the 3-point line this season — a figure that is up considerably from a disastrous start for Thompson to the 2023-24 campaign.
Thompson is shooting a career-low 41.5% from the field this season and is scoring 17.3 points per game, which represents his lowest output since his second year in the NBA back in 2012-13. Thompson is playing on the final season of a five-year, $190 million deal with a salary cap hit of $43.2 million and will be a free agent this summer.
The Warriors fell to the Hawks by 7 points in overtime on Saturday night and were 21-25, occupying 12th place in the Western Conference with their next contest scheduled on the road against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday evening.
Steph Curry Sends Message to Warriors Teammates Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline
Basically, Golden State has noted it will gauge the market for every one of its players not named Steph Curry ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Interestingly enough, it was Curry who spoke about how members of the roster must approach the next several days as potential deals loom.
“The closer you get, you can’t be naive and act like calls aren’t being made,” Curry told reporters on Saturday night. “But for us as players in the locker room, you have to be able to control what you can control. Until it’s said otherwise or decisions are made, it’s up to us to go out and perform and hold our ground [as] a team that’s a legitimate team that can win.”
Among the most likely members of the Warriors’ roster to end up with other teams by week’s end are struggling forward Andrew Wiggins and injured point guard Chris Paul, the latter of whom Golden State acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards that allowed the Dubs to move Jordan Poole’s contract.
Comments
Former NBA Champ Calls Out Warriors’ Choice Not to Trade Klay Thompson