Warriors owner reveals surprising new tidbit on Klay Thompson’s departure

The writing apparently wasn't just on the wall regarding Klay Thompson's departure from the Golden State Warriors. According to owner Joe Lacob, Thompson made his decision to leave this offseason before free agency even got underway.

Lacob opened up about the negotiations with Thompson and how things played out during a recent interview with The Athletic's Tim Kawakami .

"But you know, to be frank and honest, Klay made the decision prior to the beginning of free agency," Lacob said, "and he informed us of it that his intention was to not come back. … He called me and said the same things you heard (at his Dallas news conference). Klay is an open book. He felt he needed for a variety of reasons to have a fresh start."

Lacob also reiterated that the Warriors made Thompson an offer higher than what he ultimately signed for with the Mavericks, so he believed it was "very fair." He also said that "under a fair and equitable basis," the franchise wanted to keep Thompson as a Warrior for life, but it simply didn't work out.

After contract negotiations between the two sides didn't pan out before last season, it seemed as though the extended process of the two sides never really ramping things up fueled Thompson's departure. It's a fresh start for the 34-year-old, who averaged his fewest points per game (17.9) in 2023-24 since his second year in the league when he averaged 16.6 points in 2012-13.

With Thompson set to wear a different team's jersey for the first time in his NBA career and the Warriors' longtime core now looking a bit different, it'll be interesting to see how the decision for both sides pans out this season. The Warriors added Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson this offseason, each of whom should play a decent role with Thompson now a member of the Dallas Mavericks.