Draymond Green Gets the Blame for Klay Thompson’s & Warriors Downfall, Says 34YO Veteran

Just a few days after parting ways with the Golden State Warriors to become a free agent, Klay Thompson is all set to join the Dallas Mavericks alongside Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. The internet believes Thompson’s underwhelming performance last season and his expectations for a higher contract from the Warriors are the reasons behind his departure. However, a former Milwaukee Bucks star who joined Gilbert Arena’s podcast stated that Draymond Green‘s infamous moment in 2022 was the reason behind both Thompson’s and the Warriors’ downfall. 

Thompson has now agreed to a three-year $50 million deal with the Mavericks, taking a pay cut to join what was a ‘balanced roster’ for 2024. This expected but quick exit is the talk on the internet right now, and former NBA veteran Brandon Jennings decided to chime in to talk about where things went wrong for the Warriors. 

The first incident that Jennings looked back into was Draymond Green’s brutal punch at Jordan Poole during the 2022 off-season, which he believes “cooked“ the Golden State Warriors. The team chemistry took a huge hit and ever since that punch, the Dub Nation have struggled to get things done properly. “The dynasty has been over since that punch. It just took a whole lot out of the team. They haven’t been right since then either.”

The Warriors traded Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards last season to get Chris Paul, who has now joined the San Antonio Spurs in free agency. Waiving Chris Paul after an unsuccessful season questions the trade of Jordan Poole, who was expected to be the next superstar of the franchise. Now, Klay Thompson has also quit the run and the Warriors are lacking game-changers. Also, this is not the first time Jennings called out Green. He called out the 2017 DPOY a few months back, questioning his intent to play basketball. 

Brandon Jennings was doubtful if Draymond Green even wanted to play basketball 

The 2023-24 season was a road full of rocks for the Warriors. They had a volatile regular season and failed to make the playoffs, despite having a healthy team. One major reason for their failure in the regular season was Draymond Green’s suspension which kept him sidelined for 12 games. He played only a total of 55 games in the last season. 

Jennings shared, “I don’t think we see them three [Steph, Klay, Draymond] no more together. I think after that last time Draymond got kicked out. That was it.” He even suggested the Warriors to trade Green, “I’d probably move Dray. I don’t even know if he wants to play basketball. I think it’s something off the court,” said Jennings. 

Three months later, Jennings has circled back on Green to be the reason behind the exit of Klay Thompson. The 2017 DPOY did not directly influence this departure, but it is the situations he created over the years, which could be the reason. 

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video: