In the aftermath of Klay Thompson’s shocking decision to leave the Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks, Draymond Green pinpointed the moment that left him in tears.
Speaking on his eponymous podcast, Green expressed his complicated feelings after seeing Steph Curry’s touching Instagram tribute to his fellow Splash Brother.
“I haven’t really been able to process the feelings this morning,” Green said. “Maybe earlier today I think I might have dropped a couple of tears. [I was] just kind of sitting there and thinking and then I came across Steph’s [Instagram] story and saw the pictures.
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“And it was very interesting to me because when I was going through Steph’s story, I went through it a couple of times and it was just like, it was crazy to me how many of the pictures that he posted I was also in. So, seeing that just kind of takes you back to the beginning when it all started and none of us really knew that it would end up being [like] this.”
"I think I might have dropped a couple tears"
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 3, 2024
—@Money23Green reacts to Klay Thompson going to Dallas pic.twitter.com/iI4EvYQorE
Green went on to express how he viewed Curry and Thompson and their special relationship over the past 13 years.
“It was very interesting to see how many of those [pictures] I was in because I don’t put myself in the same category with them,” Green explained. “[Those] two for me are like here [at the top, out of the frame] and I think for me, I viewed my role in this as [having their back].
Golden State Warriors
“So yes, we’ll always be mentioned together but for me, the way I look at those two, my appreciation for those two guys, to then see myself in like half of the pictures Steph posted was just like wow. Like it brings you to a weird space, so I dropped a couple of tears throughout the day.”
The triumvirate of Green, Thompson and Curry that carried Golden State to four NBA titles is no more now that Thompson will be in Dallas, and emotions still are running hot in the Bay Area.
After reportedly feeling slighted that the Warriors did not give him a contract extension after their 2022 NBA title run, the two sides could not agree on a new contract this offseason. Losing the 13-year veteran sharpshooter to a Western Conference rival stings for the Warriors, especially since the Mavericks just wrapped up a run to the NBA Finals.
Whenever a franchise loses a cornerstone player, there is a sense of grief that sets in during the immediate aftermath, something Green, Curry and the rest of the organization will be grappling with this offseason as Golden State attempts to retool the roster for another postseason run.