“Ex-Girlfriend”: Klay Thompson Has Broken Up With Warriors, Bay Area Veteran Investigates

As the days pass by, the speculations of Klay Thompson moving on from the Warriors keep getting stronger. And what fueled it the most was the 4x NBA champ unfollowing the Warriors on Instagram. Considering GSW has been KT’s home for almost 12 years now, this move just seemed bizarre and analysts have broken it down. One of them has been the Bay Area’s favorite radio station, 95.7 The Game Willard and Dibs.

Mark T. Willard has yet again re-iterated the Splash Brother’s social media activity. “I think [Klay]’s done. The Warriors are an ex-girlfriend. He unfollowed them and he removed the pictures of them.” Earlier, the co-host mentioned KT not wanting to be “compared to his former self” as one of the driving forces behind the possibilities. The 5x All-Star for the first time since his 3rd season averaged below 20 ppg. So the criticism was bound to come for his decline.

Especially after his 0-10 shooting in the play-in game against the Kings which cost the Warriors its playoff chance. With this rough ongoing phase, even the Warriors may find issues in retaining their star, considering the recently reported contract wish by the 4x NBA champ. NBC Sports‘ Monte Poole in a recent interview mentioned Klay Thompson is “seeking an offer of at least three years.”

Notably, Steph himself has 2 more years on his contract, and Draymond has a 4-year $100 million deal. The franchise made a two-year, $35 million offer extension to Steve Kerr, aligning with Curry and Green. And maybe this is what the franchise desired while offering a two-year, $48 million extension to Thompson in the 2023 offseason. But this doesn’t seem to be what the player wants to settle for. In fact, The Athletic‘s Shams Charania has reported KT “is open to all external options in free agency coming up.” 

Best possible fits for Klay Thompson- OKC Thunder? Sixers? or who?   

OKC Thunder, being Top 5 in the league for cap space, is one team reportedly interested in Klay. “The Warriors hope to keep Thompson while also getting themselves underneath the league’s luxury tax limit, a pair of goals that could both be achievable if Thompson’s salary does not come in too high,” Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reported. Meanwhile, Stephen A Smith on ESPN’s First Take named the best two destinations. While one of them was the Philadelphia 76ers, the other turned out to be the New York Knicks.

However, considering his recent 0 for 10 shooting against Kings’ in the play-in game, Bay Area podcast host Evan Giddings believes Thompson is better off with GSW. This concern stems from the fact that Philly fans are ruthless in holding their stars to the highest standards. Giddings believes if the 5x All-Star ever delivered something like 0-on-10 with the 76ers, Philly’s media would “swallow him whole”. But ESPN’s Stephen A. seems to have a different approach to this.         

He first praised the 5x All-Star as a future Hall of Famer. In fact, Smith went to the extent of terming KT as one of the best shooters the game ever witnessed. As for the decline this season, he stated this “down year” could be a great year for many other players.

“If I’m Klay Thompson and he’s watching, I’m thinking about New York, because (they) need a shooter; I’m thinking about Philly, because (they’ve) got (Joel) Embiid and (Tyrese) Maxey, and imagine what you’d do there,” Smith added.

Notably, the Sixers could be interested in Thompson considering Daryl Morey made it clear the franchise wants a third star alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Seemingly, the desire arose after Embiid’s injury affected the team, as he played just 39 games this regular season. Fortunately for the team, with around $55 million left in cap size, they have the financial freedom to facilitate this desire. As for the Warriors, Stephen A. Smith believes the team’s roster is no longer the best fit for Klay Thompson’s skills. 

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.