Fasten your seatbelts, because the Warriors are trying to cook, and things could get messy fast.
The Warriors reportedly have been dialed in on their pursuit of star Los Angeles Clippers wing Paul George more than ever, but as a result, Golden State’s rocky relationship with 13-year team veteran Klay Thompson continues to suffer.
“Golden State has this week prioritized the trade pursuit of the LA Clippers' Paul George above all other business,” NBA insider Marc Stein said in an article published on Friday. “Yet that has only increased the chill between Thompson and the club after months of spotty and now scant contact between the sides…
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“It will take time for many NBA-watchers to get used to the idea of Klay Thompson in a different uniform if he is indeed prepared to leave the Golden State Warriors in free agency. The signs, though, have frankly never pointed more strongly to it.”
It is no surprise that Golden State badly wants George over Thompson. George, a nine-time NBA All-Star, long has been a dream fit into the Warriors’ sharp-shooting system built on perimeter excellence, and both parties’ title-contention windows are shrinking parallelly -- they simply could use each other.
However, the Warriors reportedly leaving Thompson, a four-time NBA Champion with the franchise, in the rearview for the possibility of someone else is risky.
There is no guarantee Golden State can land George. The 34-year-old is demanding a four-year max contract, and he only is attainable for the Warriors through a sign-and-trade deal. Besides giving up on Thompson, the aging Warriors still would be committing to more older players, while potentially shipping away some of their promising young ones.
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“While the Warriors examine the feasibility of the George situation and explore the rest of their options around the league, they’ve left the future of a franchise legend off to the side and increased the risk of losing him,” added The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater said in an article published on Friday.
“There remains no official contract offer and little contact between Thompson and the Warriors, league sources said, as the potential end of his 13-year run with the franchise becomes more plausible.”
Golden State reportedly has extended -- or at least proposed -- multiple offers for Thompson, as recently as a few weeks ago and even before the past season began.
He remains explorative of other options.
It is a muddy situation for Thompson and the Warriors given their history. But Golden State’s current focus, as cutthroat as it might seem, makes sense.
Pursuing George over re-signing Thompson is the best thing Golden State could do if it wants to win another title.
George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists during the 2023-24 NBA season, while Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists, and even rode the bench for the first time since his rookie 2011-12 season behind rookie Brandin Podziemski.
Plus, George is an even better catch-and-shoot connoisseur than Thompson, which is what the Warriors desperately have needed to support superstar Steph Curry in recent seasons.
Paul George shot 45.4% on catch-and-shoot 3s last season
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) June 27, 2024
Klay Thompson shot 38.1% on catch-and-shoot 3s last season https://t.co/UYFpmxsgyc
Both George and Thompson will have plenty of teams throwing money at them this offseason, but one of the two players is in a league above the other.
Golden State is making the right decision by pursuing George over Thompson, although, it would be quite the spectacle to see the Warriors have both.