It’s been a layered five-year path to this divorce, splintering last season, sprouting earlier and finalizing in the last couple weeks, where —among the conversations Thompson had, league sources said — was a request of Stephen Curry not to exert his significant organizational influence and up the temperature with management to ensure Thompson’s return. Curry’s measured voice, even if it altered the outcome, wouldn’t change the genuineness of Joe Lacob and the front office’s true desire to have Thompson back.
Controlling owner Joe Lacob led a front-office effort to take a cold, mostly uncommunicative approach to Thompson’s next contract in his three summers of extension eligibility, team sources said, which isn’t separate from their norm. Lacob has done similar in the past with Curry, Kerr, Bob Myers, Andre Iguodala and Green, using dwindling time as a weapon but ultimately paying up (he put a substantial offer on the table for Myers) after a staring contest.
Thompson operates on his own wavelength. The Warriors’ decision-makers were warned that a drawn-out negotiation into July during this free-agent cycle wouldn’t be met the same way. He wasn’t trying to leverage his way back until the bitter end.
But his decision, as one source put it, became easy when the Warriors kicked him down the summer pecking order.
There was little communication between Thompson, the Warriors and Thompson’s agent, Greg Lawrence, and ultimately no offer in this cycle. Warriors sources maintained a plan to eventually make a competitive offer in relation to his market once other business was settled. But they never had the chance. Many league sources said Thompson’s decision to depart was unofficially made weeks ago.
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With all due respect, with the performances Klay had last year, his Achilles and ACL, and the performance he had vs the Kings, Klay thought he had way more leverage than he really did honestly.
But did they try kidnapping him?
Good read.
5 year path? How long have they wanted to get rid of him? 😭
I think I will have a Beefy 5-Layer for lunch today.
Slater is a wonderful reporter, but he needs an editor lmao. What the hell does the title even mean? Two commas and an em dash later, I have no idea who asked curry to not “up the temperature on management.”
I think its perfectly defensible that the warriors were trying to make a big move to add a true #2 guy, and that they’d come back to Klay after they figured out what was viable.
curry deserves to be anointed sainthood for all the bull s*** he’s been dealing with both on and off the court these last couple of years and said not a damn word publicly or even on social media like we see with so many athletes in this day & age
Seems like the Warriors essentially had two paths (the “flexibility” that dumping Poole for CP3 granted them):
1. Trade CP3. That would mean they’d be over the tax line, so re-signing Klay wouldn’t cost them anything but money.
2. Waive CP3. That puts them below the tax line, and re-signing Klay would hinder their ability to add other players (for example, using the NTMLE).
The Warriors were waiting to see how that unfolded before approaching Klay, and Klay (reasonably) didn’t like that he was more of an afterthought than a priority.
Although klay played really well during his stretch on the bench, it was pretty evident he did not want to come off the bench. Was too prideful to give up his starting spot.
The tantrums and ripping into the coaches for that decision as mentioned in the article signaled the beginning of the end.
Article makes it seem like Klay leaving wasn’t really a sudden change of mind thing even as it mentions the fact that the Warriors didn’t Klay a contract during the mandatory cycle where teams get to negotiate with their own free agents before any other team.
Honestly that sounds about right. It sucks, but what’s most clear is that Klay just wasn’t good at dictating leverage at all and it was amplified through a combination of missed opportunities and plain bad luck.
Well I mean, shit. Best of luck to him.
Man this is an AI written headline if I’ve ever seen one
So basically the warriors had zero communication with klays agent this offseason and last season’s offer may not be as concrete as we think.
I don’t really blame klay for leaving and I’m not sure why he’s getting so much hate. He just left in free agency lol what’s wrong with that
Can anyone explain this in English?
I remember when journalists could write a proper sentence.
Light years ahead.
love that Perk yesterday was scorching Steph for not using his power on the Klay situation when apparently he was specifically asked by Klay not to do that. It makes sense. Klay wanted the Warriors to prove they wanted him for him, not because Steph told them to.
The Earth’s ability to support humanity is dying and this guy is spouting fuckin soliloquies about a millionaire crybaby
It’s always so overdramatic. It’s always the same:
Player want keep playing for same amount or more money. Team no want that
Steve Kerr said Klay was “no maintenance” earlier. Klay probably felt like the organization has kept going out of it’s way to support Draymond and didn’t extend a warm hand to him.
This is all hilarious considering he made an insane amount of money to sit on the bench. What a little bitch.
Steph: I wasn’t planning to bruh. Dunt need your 0-10 ass staying around.
What is this word salad can someone ELI5
thought Klay got a divorce?? 🤣
This article was painful to read through and understand
What will happen with the boat(s)?
What the fuck is he saying
From somebody that paid as little attention to their drama as possible. Klay seems like such a whiner
I know everyone is saying this is a hit piece, but I’ve watched a lot of Warriors games over the past 11 years and his attitude these past few years has been pretty awful for a team to deal with, and that’s just from what I know from games/interviews. I know it’s tough to deal with two major injuries back to back but dude has taken no accountability for his play/literally losing them regular season and playoff games. Still sad to see him go, incredible to watch when he’s on
I think I had a stroke reading that title. What is he even trying to say?