Nobody Got Disrespected.

He won rings, got paid, got hurt. It happens

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The Warriors’ run ended a couple of seasons ago when they knocked off the Celtics to squeeze out their fourth NBA title in eight seasons. It was a legitimate championship, but also a bit of an outlier compared to their dynasty years, when they won it all in 2015, ‘17 and ‘18 and went to the Finals five straight times. (Five consecutive appearances = dynasty for sports purposes; this is not the real-life application of the word.)

That great run coincided with the best years of Klay Thompson, and indeed the best years of the core. In the end, it was Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green, plus Andre Iguodala — and no others, save for coach Steve Kerr and some of his staff — who held all four trophies.

Monday’s news that Thompson was leaving Golden State and signing with Dallas, then, hit some fans in a vulnerable place. But the truth is that this breakup had been brewing for some time. Iguodala is retired; Green is twilighting/podcasting. Curry may never age, but this season he finished well below his career averages for both field goal and three-point shooting percentages.

Klay? He got respected.

Mark that. We’re coming back to it in just a sec.

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Assuming ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is right (and, I mean, he is), Thompson will sign a three-year deal for $50 million with the Mavericks. It’s technically a sign-and-trade package that involves multiple teams, but this is all driven by Klay reaching free agency and wanting to pick a new spot.

As much as we talk about craving continuity in sports, this is far more often the way it goes. Thompson had an epic 13 years with the Warriors, and he will never be considered anything but integral to their outsized success. But while it’s possible that Curry and Green may never play anywhere else, the issuance of Klay’s exit visa felt imminent all season long.

No problems there; we can love a player (or a team) and still understand that things change. Lucky for us, we’re adults.

Unfortunately, though, much of Thompson’s past season seemed to revolve around the idea — maybe coming from his camp, maybe a little social-media driven — that he was being disrespected by a Warriors franchise to which he had given so much, and that’s why he is leaving now.

Let’s take a breath.

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Over the past five years, Klay Thompson has appeared in 178 regular season games. Not his fault — he dealt with absolutely grotesque injuries that required surgery, first to his knee and then to his achilles. Both required lengthy, soul-sapping rehabs. It took Thompson two and a half years to get back on the court, deep into the 2021-22 season, and when he finally did, he was given a lifetime memory of a moment.

He went on to play in 32 games down the stretch that season, then started all 22 games of the Warriors’ championship playoff run. Good stuff. Still — 178 regular season appearances over five years, out of a possible 383. (There was some Covid scheduling during that time.)

In that same span, Thompson was paid $189,903,600 by the Warriors. So, you know, $190 mil. It was all guaranteed, and that’s the business. The Warriors signed Klay to this deal after he’d been part of three title winners. They had the money — in part because the value of their franchise exploded during this period of nonstop brilliance. Klay was in the middle of that.

It was all fair and all good, and injuries happen, and performance tails off, and teams take this kind of chance routinely, because these guys are the best in the world at what they do — and the best of the best are genuinely a rare type of bird.

By the time of Monday’s announcement, Klay Thompson had played for the Warriors since 2011, won four championships, gone to six Finals, anchored the best three-person core since the Duncan-Ginobili-Parker crew in San Antonio, and made $266 million.

Nobody got disrespected. Everybody did great. Everybody won. Nobody lost.

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Thompson’s new deal with the Mavericks was technically signed by the Warriors in order to make the multi-team transaction work. In Dallas, he’ll join team that made an inspired run to the NBA Finals last month, and there’s no doubt that a legitimate chance at a fifth ring was part of his calculus in turning down the Lakers, among others.

This past season may not go down as Thompson’ least favorite, considering the grueling injuries of other campaigns, but it’s not one he’ll cherish. His role with the Warriors at times was diminished; his shooting percentages came in below his career averages, and he just seemed out of sync a lot. The team missed the playoffs, and the energy of impending change was in the air.

It’s time. This is all good. An amazing run sort of officially comes to an end, like every other amazing run you can name. It’s a perfect moment for everyone involved to get out gracefully. They should try hard to do that. They should stretch to do it. They each owe themselves nothing less. And then we’ll go on.