New report reveals Klay Thompson’s bizarre disconnect with current reality led to Golden State Warriors departure

It seems that Klay Thompson’s disconnect from the reality of the athlete he is today played a key role in his departure from the only team he’s ever played for, the Golden State Warriors.

While several big names changed teams this summer, one of the biggest switches was Klay Thompson choosing to leave the Warriors to play for the Dallas Mavericks. His leaving was not a complete shock and had been rumored for months. However, the idea of the Golden State great finishing his career elsewhere does take some getting used to.

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Since last summer, various reports claimed that the five-time All-Star and the organization remained far apart on the money in a new contract. Some more inside information on that divide came out in a new report this week and it revealed that Thompson has not fully embraced the fact that he is no longer the player he once was.

“Thompson, despite missing two full seasons with injuries, felt he was nearly the same player he was before and the Warriors didn’t agree,” the Boston Globe reported . “Thompson felt as if he should have been compensated with a four-year deal similar to Draymond Green’s and Andrew Wiggins’s, especially since neither has lived up to their contracts.”

• Klay Thompson stats (2023-24): 17.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 39% 3PT

“… Thompson felt he should have been rewarded with a contract to last for the remainder of his career. The Warriors offered him a two-year, $48 million extension he rejected because of the money and the length. The Mavericks didn’t have the money to match that salary but added an extra year, and Thompson accepted despite the pay cut.”

Thompson suffered a torn ACL in 2019, and then a torn Achilles the following year. The injuries had a major effect on his play, and after returning to the court in 2021 he was no longer the defensive stopper he once was and as accurate a shooter. His statistics have consistently declined in the years since, so it is pretty shocking that the 34-year-old actually believes he is still performing near his peak levels of five years ago.

Thompson was benched by head coach Steve Kerr midway through the season, adding more evidence to his steep decline in production in recent years.

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