Draymond admits to nearly leaving Warriors in similar fashion as Klay originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Klay Thompson’s storied Warriors run is over, but what exactly prompted the four-time NBA champion to depart the Bay for the Dallas Mavericks?
Draymond Green shared on Warriors media day why he believes Thompson sought a fresh start with a different team.
“I think he needed something new. All good things must come to an end,” the Golden State veteran told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke in the interview, which debuted Thursday on the latest “Dubs Talk” podcast. “And unfortunately his ended earlier than any of us wanted.
“Reason he left, I think he needed a different challenge for himself. Sometimes, you need a change of scenery. Sometimes, that thing can’t push you to be as great as you want. Klay has experienced such a high level of success here that we can all have a sense of entitlement.”
Green and Thompson were Warriors teammates for 12 seasons, forever changing the sport of basketball while playing key roles in authoring one of the NBA’s greatest dynasties.
Green faced a similar dilemma as Thompson in the summer of 2023, when the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year entered free agency. While Green ultimately returned to Golden State on a four-year, $100 million contract, he did ponder a move away from the only NBA franchise he has known.
“One-thousand percent, and got really close to doing something else,” Green told Burke. “That’s the business we’re in. When I was going through free agency, that was the thought. Do I need something fresh? How important to me is legacy here?
“To continue building that and want to continue that [is] the way I want to go out. But the reality is, in sports, the likelihood of it ending on your terms is this big. It doesn’t end on your terms in sports. We can only hope and pray that it does, but the reality is it is far more likely it won’t than it will. There’s so many things that can go into the decision.”
Green and the new-look Warriors hope to make the most out of his remaining years, with a strong preseason showing perhaps reflecting the potential impact Golden State’s offseason acquisitions will make on the court.
One thing is for certain, however. It will be a strange and unsettling feeling the first time the Warriors tip off a regular-season game without Thompson sporting a Golden State jersey.
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