The Warriors Wasted No Time Slandering Klay Thompson Almost Immediately After He Left For The Mavericks
MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images. Getty Images.As expected, the Klay Thompson Era in Golden State came to an end yesterday when he officially signed a 3/50M deal to join the Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks. A move that wasn't all that surprising and something that definitely helps the Mavs fill a role that was clearly exposed in their swift ass kicking in the 2024 NBA Finals, while he may not be the player he was in his prime, he should still help.
Over the last year so or, we all saw the divorce between Klay and GS unfold in real time. He felt slighted, his play wasn't always to the standard I think everyone was used to, the team kept lowballing him and like pretty much every other situation like this between a player and team, things ended pretty poorly.
When that happens, you know what comes next. Now it's time for the slander, and the Warriors didn't even wait until the ink was dry on Klay's deal before they unleashed it
Klay Thompson's antics behind the scenes have been 'equally exhausting' as Draymond Green's, per
@JDumasReports
"Klay has been equally as exhausting behind the scenes. It's not as loud. It's not as loud because it's not you stomping on someone’s chest. If he's slamming stuff on the bench and sulking, and doing that on the court, how do you think it is in practice? How do you think it is in the locker room? It has been uncomfortable. It has. It just doesn't come out as loudly as Draymond Green." (Via @957thegame)
I'm sorry, but this is crazy. Yeah, I'm sure things weren't great with Klay at the end of his tenure. We all saw the clips from the games and the locker room. Correct me if I'm wrong, but where was this narrative while Klay was still in GS? Now all of a sudden he's basically Draymond Green 2.0? You know, the player who ruined 2 different Warriors seasons because of his bullshit, which included PUNCHING HIS OWN TEAMMATE IN THE FACE?? How on earth is Klay being upset about what the Warriors want to pay him and the potential role they want for him even close to the same thing?
To say a player who is in a contract dispute, something that pretty much happens on teams all across the league is "equally exhausting" as a guy who has single handedly ruined multiple seasons (who then still got a $100M extension btw) is so disrespectful I'm almost happy Klay gave that organization the double bird and went to the Mavs. This isn't a role player, this is one of the greatest Warriors ever. As key a piece to their 4 titles as you're going to find, and the second he leaves the team (because you kept low balling him!) you pull a move like this? That's gross.
It's basically the John Henry playbook to perfection. Any time someone would leave the Sox, it was only a matter of time before the hit piece came out in the Boston Globe (which John Henry owns). If I'm a star in the NBA and I see something like this, why the hell would I ever want to go play for GS? Not only are they going to stink once Steph is gone, but this is how they treat their legends? And I'm not even denying the possibility that Klay was a dick during this whole thing. I bet he was. But there is no way on earth he was as detrimental to that locker room as Draymond Green has been these last handful of years.
I'm not blaming the reporter for saying shit like this on the radio, he was clearly fed this stuff by someone in the Warriors organization, which isn't surprising because if you remember, we saw something similar with Jordan Poole as well after his exit. It's all pretty nasty work. Is it so hard to just be normal and congratulate him and leave it at that? You didn't want him, so there's no need to slander him on the way out. Especially when he helped win you 4 rings.
Hopefully, this is just the thing that helps Klay have a bounce back season and I can already see the 9 3PM game against GS coming the first time they play.
For years the Warriors were always talked about as this model franchise, the pinnacle of the league etc. In reality? They're a bunch of spineless losers. Just wait until Steph decides one day he's had enough, chances are this same type of slander is heading his way too. It's just how GS operates I guess.
