Whether Klay Thompson remains with the Warriors or not next season could trigger a domino effect for the rest of Golden State's offseason.
Several big-name players such as Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler have been tied to trade rumors involving the Warriors, with a source confirming to NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole that Golden State does, in fact, have interest in the former.
So which player could better help the Warriors compete in the stacked Western Conference next season and possibly beyond? Former Warriors general manager-turned-ESPN analyst Bob Myers weighed in during Wednesday's "First Take" episode.
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"Paul George or Klay Thompson? I might argue both at this point," Myers said. "You've seen what the Clippers have done with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Normal Powell, [Ivica] Zubac, Terance [Mann], that wasn't good enough for the Clippers. That was a stacked team in many respects. So if you add Paul George to the Warriors, you say, 'OK, that's a really good team.' You almost need Klay Thompson as well.
"The West, with what Oklahoma City is doing, what Minnesota is doing, what Dallas just did, I do think we're sometimes missing things and trying to oversimplify [it]. You add Paul George, you add Klay Thompson -- it's still not enough, guys. You need to build a team to compete with what is a loaded West and even getting through the West. The Eastern Conference showed they're the best team in the NBA by far. We talk about how great the West is. The thing that's different about the West is the depth of the West. You could be a very good team in the West and be the ninth seed. It's a deep conference. So just getting through it all, you need depth.
"And Klay and PG may give you a better shot, but at the same time, I don't think either of them just solves all the issues for any team."
Thompson has played his entire NBA career with the Warriors, and Golden State certainly knows what the sharpshooter can bring to the floor.
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In 77 games last season, Thompson averaged 17.9 points on 43.2-percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from 3-point range, with 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.7 minutes.
While his 3-ball and once-dominating two-way play has deteriorated since sustaining two serious leg injuries, there's no questioning what Thompson has meant to the organization that drafted him 13 years ago.
Meanwhile, George, a nine-time NBA All-Star, could seek a fresh start elsewhere if the Clippers don't offer him the four-year max contract he desires, a deal the Warriors could be willing to give him, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday. The 34-year-old averaged 22.6 points on 47.1-percent shooting from the field and 41.3 percent from deep last season with Los Angeles, adding 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 33.8 minutes.
Both players certainly have their respective résumés, and regardless of how things shape up for Golden State, the team's former two-time NBA Executive of the Year believes it will take a lot more to climb back atop the Western Conference ladder.
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