Around this time last year, the Golden State Warriors had to negotiate a contract extension for Draymond Green. They eventually got the deal done, which came out to a four-year, $100 million extension for the former Defensive Player of the Year.
This time around, it was Klay Thompson who was up on the plate. The main difference, however, is that the Dubs let Thompson walk as opposed to extending his deal like they did with Green.
Golden State Warriors News: Klay Thompson Was ‘Exhausting’ Behind the Scenes
In a recent roundtable discussion between the hosts of 95.7 The Game, the notion that Stephen Curry did not want Thompson back as much as he did Green was placed on the table. The hosts agreed that this could be the case considering how Steph was adamant about keeping Draymond on the squad. The same could not be said about Curry’s feelings about Thompson — at least according to the hosts of the show.
Jason Dumas of KRON4 News then dropped a bombshell about how Thompson’s antics behind the scenes were as tough to deal with for the Warriors as that of Green’s highly-publicized issues:
“The last three years I know Draymond has punched people and got himself suspended on the court… but Klay has been as equally exhausting behind the scenes,” Dumas said. “It’s not as loud. It’s not as loud because it’s not you stomping on someone’s chest. If he’s slamming stuff on the bench and sulking, and doing that on the court, how do you think it is in practice? How do you think it is in the locker room? It has been uncomfortable. It has. It just doesn’t come out as loudly as Draymond Green.”
“The last three years I know Draymond has punched people and got himself suspended on the court… but Klay has been equally exhausting behind the scenes..” –@JDumasReports pic.twitter.com/Sqqe7TlsjQ
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 1, 2024
If this is all true, then it comes as no surprise that the Warriors let Thompson leave in free agency.
Either way, it’s Green who’s still on the roster and Thompson moving on. This in itself speaks volumes as to which player the organization (and Steph Curry?) values more.
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