Klay Thompson is officially out of the Golden State Warriors. The star will sign a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks to complete an impressive roster alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. It’s the end of an era for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
During the last weeks, head coach Steve Kerr asked the team’s front office many times to bring back Klay. The head coach even compared the situation with Michael Jordan and the Bulls emphasizing Thompson deserved a chance to retire as a Warrior.
However, there was no turning back. When Klay Thompson became a free agent, two teams immediately jumped in. LeBron James was really close of convincing him to join the Los Angeles Lakers, but, in the end, the Mavs were his final choice.
Klay Thompson and the reason to leave Warriors
According to a surprising story by Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews of ESPN, Klay Thompson just had enough of the Golden State Warriors and even the situation around Stephen Curry.
“Over the past year, Klay Thompson has been relatively easy to read. He was ‘miserable’, as one person close to him said. Miserable with how negotiations with the team had gone on a new contract. Miserable at the thought he wasn’t respected or valued by the franchise in the way his older Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, 36, and Draymond Green, 34, were. Miserable at his declining role on the team. And yes, miserable at the way his game and play had declined, as well.”
In fact, this complicated environment as the shadow of other stars might have been the reason why Klay Thompson declined the offer to play with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“But something about playing for the Lakers apparently felt too much like playing for the Warriors. As one source close to him put it, ‘Would this be trading one fishbowl for another?'”