Draymond Green believes Klay Thompson looks at his Warriors ending as a blemish on his NBA career.
In Monday’s episode of his “Draymond Green Show” podcast, Green further discussed Thompson's departure to new co-host Baron Davis.
“I hope and pray that [Thompson] goes to Dallas and plays great. … because that will allow him to appreciate what he’s done here,” Green told Davis. “Like, right now, if I’m totally honest with you, I think it’s like a stain on [his career], for him. And Klay hasn’t said it’s a stain on it, by the way; It’s just how I feel in my gut.”
Thompson spent his first 13 seasons with Golden State, where he won four championships, was a five-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA selection alongside fellow future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame selections in Steph Curry and Green.
But because of contractual stalemates, Thompson shockingly left the Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks this past offseason.
Green knows that No. 11 one day will be retired at Chase Center in honor of the new Mavericks sharpshooter. Until then, Green hopes that Thompson can heal after his Golden State era roughly ended.
Golden State Warriors
“So many times, people in the NBA don’t have a place to call home,” Green added to Davis. “And again, regardless of how he may feel, he’s getting a statue here, his jersey going up, he’s a legend, this is home forever -- all of that. You just want him to feel how he’s supposed to feel leaving from a place that you built.
“I hope for him -- because I just know who Klay Thompson is as a person – I feel like if he goes to Dallas and plays great, then he can be like, ‘All right, I’m cool now.’ He’s just so competitive, man. I just want that for him, bro.”
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Thompson wanted a contract that would’ve aligned him with Curry and Green’s timelines. Instead, he reportedly was met with cold negotiation tactics from Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
It will take time for Thompson -- and all of Dub Nation -- to heal after one of the Bay Area’s most iconic athletes left for Texas. Green, though, knows that the Warriors organization forever will be Thompson’s home and that, one day, the two parties can recollect.
