Klay Thompson Finally Admitted He Was Just Caught Up In His Feelings When He Beefed With Devin Booker All Because He Was Busting His Ass
Kate Frese. Getty Images.When you think of the best current rivalries in the NBA, I'm not sure how quickly you come to GS/PHX, but for anyone paying attention, this has quickly become something worth monitoring. Part of it is the fact that both have title expectations, they both play in the Pacific Division, the whole KD history, the new Chris Paul situation, and of course what transpired just last season between these two teams
Now Devin Booker certainly isn't one to shy away from talking shit as Suns fans will remind you. Not only is he one of the best young players in the game, he also doesn't give a shit who it is. He'll chirp anyone, from Klay Thompson to Luka Doncic
So the dust up in the first week of the 2023 NBA season wasn't all that surprising. The Suns kicked the absolute piss out of GS to the tune of 134-105 with Booker getting basically whatever he wanted to the tune of 34/2/7 on 52% shooting. The Warriors had no answers, Klay specifically. The crazy part is Klay got tossed at a time when the game was still close early in the 3rd quarter, which in hindsight surely wasn't the smartest decision.
Klay finally opened up about that skirmish and basically confirmed what we already knew. He reacted the way he did simply because he was caught in his feelings
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Now this is what I would call some pretty good self awareness. We all know how corny that "4 rings" taunt is, yet every time Klay finds himself in a shit talking situation, he always goes to it and every time it's always a brutal look
I mean, not everyone gets to play on superteams/with Steph Curry. I would imagine if they did, they too would be able to taunt "4 rings". I actually admire Klay's ability to look at that situation and admit how ridiculous it was. Some players might double down on it, but this is another reason why I like Klay. He just seems like a chill dude who just so happens to be one of the best shooters on earth who at times gets a little carried away in the heat of battle. I can respect that, especially now that we know how he views that whole situation.
As we look ahead to 2023-24, this is a massive season for Klay. Forget the consistent title expectations in GS, he's in the last year of his 5/189M deal at $43.2M. Unless we see an extension in the next few months, this could very well be his last year as a Warrior since he's an UFA entering his age 34 season. The Warriors did just give Draymond $100M so my gut says they're going to pony up and just take the tax bill hit with Klay as well, but we do now live in a new world with that whole 2nd apron in the new CBA. By the end of the year he looked a whole lot more like the pre-injury Klay we were used to, so I imagine there would be some suitors should he hit the market next summer. While he may not get the max extension offer he reportedly wanted back in April, I really can't see the team investing in Draymond just to let Klay walk.