It seems that Klay Thompson’s exit from the Golden State Warriors was not merely written in the stars.
Owner Joe Lacob said that Thompson decided to go this offseason even before the start of free agency.
In a recent interview with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Lacob discussed the talks with Thompson and how they went.
“But you know, to be honest,” Lacob continued, “Klay made the decision before free agency started, and he told us it was his plan to not return. .. The identical words you heard (during his news conference in Dallas) are what he told me over the phone. Klay is transparent. He believed that he needed a fresh start for a number of reasons.”
Reiterating that Thompson received a better offer from the Warriors than he inked a deal with the Mavericks, Lacob said he thought the deal was “very fair.” Additionally, he stated that while the franchise intended to retain Thompson as a Warrior indefinitely, “under a fair and equitable basis,” things just did not work out.
It appeared as though Thompson’s departure was spurred by the drawn-out process of the two parties never truly cranking things up after contract negotiations between them failed to materialize before last season. The 34-year-old, who averaged 17.9 points a game in 2023–24—his lowest point total since his second season in the league in 2012–13—is off to a fresh start.
It will be intriguing to watch how the decisions made by both parties coming season, as Thompson is expected to don a uniform from a different team for the first time in his NBA career and the Warriors’ traditional core now appears somewhat different. With Thompson now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors added Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson in the offseason. All three of these players should contribute in some way.