Klay Thompson's departure from the Warriors was not without its efforts to reconcile a fractured longstanding marriage.
On both sides, but to varying degrees.
Six weeks before agreeing to sign a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, Thompson took Warriors owner Joe Lacob up on his offer to play a round of golf at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews reported in a feature story on Wednesday.
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According to Shelburne and Andrews, Thompson and Lacob did not discuss any contract details nor have any discussions about the team throughout their mid-May round of golf, despite Thompson reportedly feeling disrespected by negotiations over the past year-plus.
Over the next few weeks, Thompson's agent, Greg Lawrence of the Wasserman Media Group, proposed multiple contract offers to the Warriors, Shelburne and Andrews reported, citing sources.
"By the time this offseason arrived, Thompson's representatives had proposed at least four contracts to the team," Shelburne and Andrews wrote. "Each time, throughout the season, the response from the Warriors was that Thompson and his camp needed to wait while the franchise tried to improve the team in other deals. Most notably, sources said, were efforts to trade for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Brooklyn Nets swingman Mikal Bridges, LA Clippers star Paul George and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen."
Shelburne and Andrews also reported, citing sources, that Thompson's camp made one final offer to the Warriors: a modest two-year deal for roughly $20 million per season. Golden State also communicated its desire to use Thompson in a non-starting role, which according to ESPN, Thompson was "not thrilled" about, but ultimately did not view the request as a dealbreaker.
Golden State Warriors
The final offer to the Warriors was approximately $4 million more per year than Thompson's reported agreement with the Mavericks and $2 million per year less than Golden State's reported offer to Thompson before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Golden State's response to the offer, according to ESPN, was the same as it had been for nearly a year: "We just can't do it yet."
Then Thompson, in the final week before free agency, began having a series of difficult conversations leading up to his departure, Shelburne and Andrews reported, citing sources. First, he met with coach Steve Kerr in Los Angeles. Then he broke the news to longtime teammates Steph Curry and Draymond Green over the phone. Finally, Thompson called Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy, who he asked to help him get to a destination of his choosing through a sign-and-trade deal.
The Warriors obliged and ended up receiving two second-round picks in the three-team sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks and the Charlotte Hornets.
Although the two sides were unable to work out a deal, the split between Thompson and the Warriors appears to be amicable, and now Golden State must figure out how to move forward without one of its beloved franchise icons.