Before Klay Thompson made the decision about his future with the Warriors, he had one request for his fellow Splash Brother Steph Curry.
Thompson asked Curry not to pressure the Warriors front office into re-signing him, as initially reported by The Athletic's Anthony Slater.
Curry didn't listen.
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Instead, Curry had a conversation with Joe Lacob and Co., and in an exclusive interview with The Athletic's Sam Amick, Golden State's only remaining Splash Brother revealed what he told the Warriors brass.
"We want Klay back," Curry told Amick. "I’m not going to tell them what number it is [on the contract]. I’m not going to tell them [anything beyond that]. Again, part of the way we operate is that there’s always conversation. When anything changes, I just want to know what’s up, to know where everybody stands. It’s not like I’m telling everybody how to think or act, because we all get paid to do our separate jobs.
"But, yeah, I hope that when it comes to the way organization handled it, that when we look back at it, it’s more of a two-way street conversation of what Klay needed and what the organization needed, and that there’s some middle ground there, because this is a very emotional thing all the way around. (He’s) the first one of us three to go."
Of course, despite how powerful and influential Curry's voice and opinion are, the Thompson-Warriors divorce was inevitable.
Golden State Warriors
Thompson signed a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks as part of a sign-and-trade deal involving six teams.
And Curry now understands that even though it is hard to see Thompson move on elsewhere, a fresh start for No. 11 was necessary.
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