Warriors guard Klay Thompson may have just played his last game as a member of Golden State on Tuesday night and boy was it a stinker.
The four-time NBA champion missed every shot he took Tuesday in the Warriors win-and-you’re-in play-in game against the Sacramento Kings. He went 0-10 with two fouls and a turnover in what may have been his last game as a Warrior.
Thompson, a key centerpiece to the Warriors once-feared dynasty, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. After arguably the worst season of his career, it’s highly possible the Warriors elect not to bring him back. Even if they do, it’s hard to imagine they’d match the five-year, $189 million deal they gave him in 2019.
If they do let him go, it will signal the end of an era in NBA lore. The Warriors dominated the mid 2010s and early 2020s, establishing a dynasty that won four NBA championships. While Steph Curry has been the undisputed biggest key to those rings, Klay is arguably a close second.
Yes, Golden State had all-world superstar Kevin Durant for two of the championships. But Klay was there for all four.
Thompson suffered from brutal luck, missing the entirety of two seasons from 2019 to 2021 with knee and Achilles injuries. (RELATED: The Most Exciting Basketball Player I Ever Watched Just Retired)
“They’re gonna have to make a hard decision on Klay,” TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said after the game. “Klay not gonna get younger. Do you sign him for three or four more years … That’s the elephant in the room. They gotta make a decision on him … Klay wants a max deal, he’s not gonna get a max deal.”
Thompson is a likely future Hall of Famer. His five-time All-Star career has seen him shoot the three ball in prolific fashion. But at 34 years old, with two season-ending leg injuries, he just doesn’t have the juice anymore. I could see him getting overpaid by a team like the Miami Heat who will capitalize on his fame and brand off the court as much as they’ll value his skill set on it. But as far as his time as a Warrior? After 13 years, I think his time in the bay is done.
