Kerr admits in-season Klay signs signaled his Warriors departure originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The writing might have been on the wall for Klay Thompson and the Warriors during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Throughout the trials and tribulations of last season, it became clear to coach Steve Kerr and the team that Thompson, a free-agent-to-be, might be open to a change of scenery this offseason before he eventually signed a three-year, $50 million sign-and-trade contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
“Yeah, there were signs,” Kerr told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on the latest episode of “The TK Show.” “Obviously, none of us knew what would happen, we all wanted him to stay. I wanted Klay to be a Warrior for life, it felt like the right thing. But you never really know what the right thing is for someone else, only that person knows. And I think by the end of the year, I think Klay knew for his own sake that he wanted to leave.
“I’m happy for him, I think this will be a great move. He’s going to play for a great team, two high-level creators (Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving), he should get a lot of open shots. I think sometimes a career change, a late-career change can refresh and recharge you.”
Kerr admits that Thompson’s two career-altering lower-leg injuries — a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and a torn Achilles in the fall of 2020 — continued to take a mental toll on the Warriors sharpshooter, even two years after returning to the court in Jan. 2022.
“I’m hoping Klay can move on from the injuries psychologically and emotionally, which I think he struggled to do here, frankly,” Kerr said. “So I think a fresh start is great for him.”
Kerr believes Thompson’s departure, while somber for the Warriors and Dub Nation and another sign that Golden State’s dynasty is nearing its end, can open doors to other exciting lineup opportunities this season.
“I think it could be good for us, we’re going to have to fill the void that he’s left,” Kerr added. “But as long as we attack it from a positive manner. Hey, there’s minutes there and there’s also an opportunity to maybe play a little bit differently, to do some different things and to discover some things about our team that those are all exciting factors that our fans will enjoy.”
Thompson, statistically, had one of the worst seasons of his illustrious career, averaging 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 43.2-percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from 3-point range while bouncing back and forth between the starting lineup and the bench in 77 games played.
While there’s an argument to be made that the Warriors’ current roster is better now than it was last season with the additions of versatile veteran depth pieces in place of an aging Thompson commanding nearly 30 minutes per game, Kerr and the team certainly wish the franchise legend could have played out the remainder of his Hall of Fame career in the Bay Area.
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