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Warriors To ‘Overhaul’? Draymond Green Goes Candid Amid Swirling Klay Thompson Rumors

Published 04/18/2024, 9:37 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Draymond Green cleared the air amid the glaring opinions on Klay Thompson. The Golden State Warriors star shooter, who went 0-10 FG in the do-or-die game, received all sorts of backlash from the fans and critics. Some fans even considered the Sac Town failure as the end of the Dubs Big 3 union and Thompson’s tradeout. Amid all the chaos, DrayMagic showed a glimpse of the Warriors’ internal affair. The star power forward candidly expressed his insights on the team’s early exit from the season.

In the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, firstly, he stressed that the change was inevitable and expected things to change within the team in the following season. After that, he directly jumped into the polarizing views on China Klay. He said, “I wish I had an answer for you… There’s not one person in this organization that does not want Klay Thompson back here.” He asked the youngsters to step up, and said, “There are some tweaks that need to be made”.

via Imago

“Me personally, I don’t think there’s an overhaul that needs to be made.” Even though Draymond Green made it clear that there isn’t any panic within the organization, he also hinted at a major setback on the Dubs’ way—the Klay Thompson free agency.

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There is already enough drama about Klay’s contract extension. Earlier reports revealed that the star declined a $48 million contract and developed a strained relationship with the Dubs owner, Joe Lacob. Addressing that, Green said, “Klay will ultimately have to make a decision… Free agency is not a fun place, free agency kind of sucks… Free agency is like uncertainty.”

Even though Thompson revealed his ambitions to retire as a Warrior, the star’s last performance could play a part. Will he continue to play in the Dubs thread? Only time will tell.

Will Draymond Green save his place in the side?

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Along with Thompson, Green faced some amount of backlash for the team’s play-in exit. The fans pointed out the star’s unavailability during the crucial phase of the season. DrayMagic got suspended twice and missed 20 games during the initial phase and the team’s performance took a massive dip at the time. Addressing it, Stephen A. Smith said, “Biggest culprit, and it breaks my heart to say this is Draymond.” 

He even argued that the team could have earned a better spot in the table if Green played without suspension. Rallying on it, fans trashed Green and called for his trade. However, Steve Kerr came in support of the power forward and vested his trust in him. He added, “I will stick with [Draymond] forever because I know who he is as a human being.” 

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On the other hand, if you are looking for a trade that could happen in the Dubs fold, it could be Andrew Wiggins. The 29-year-old had a massive slump this season, with a dipped average from 17 points to 13 points and a reduced shooting percentage of 45%. Even A. Smith said, “If you can get rid of Andrew Wiggins I would do it in a heartbeat.”

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“He doesn’t show up half the time mentally and emotionally his mind just always somewhere else.” 

What do you make of Stephen A. Smith’s take? Who do you think will the Dubs trade in the next season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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Edited by:

Daniel D'Cruz