No sign of Klay’s “Warrior for life” vibe in the end-of-season press

No sign of Klay’s ‘Warrior for life’ vibe in end-of-season presser originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – With his future hazy and subject to educated guesses and rampant speculation, Klay Thompson spent nearly 17 minutes Wednesday steering the discussion toward his comfort zone.

In particular, memories of his 13 years as a member of the Warriors.

Thompson, who will be an unrestricted free agent in July, used words and body language to make it clear that his feelings about Golden State are not as warm as they were not long ago.

Thompson in July 2019 after tearing the ACL in his left knee and signing a maximum five-year contract worth $190 million a month later: “Who pays a guy after he injures his ACL? But they had confidence in me.”

Thompson painted in darker colors when that deal was revisited Wednesday: “Oh man. Well, 2019, can you imagine if they wouldn’t pay me after I got hurt? That would have been really bad. Like, oh, we went to five straight finals, you blew your knee out. Yes sorry. So no, I mean, that was very nice of them.

It was just a few weeks ago that Thompson said in an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic that he “would like to be a Warrior for life.” This was only mildly surprising, as he spent his NBA career in the backcourt with superstar Stephen Curry and has been teammates with Draymond Green since 2012.

It is now clear that Thompson, 34, is not committed to staying with the Warriors. Not that he’s unwilling to re-sign, but there was no “I want to be a warrior for life” energy rolling off his tongue or pressed into the thought bubbles above his head.

However, there was a lot of nostalgia when discussing his past with the only NBA franchise from which he has earned a salary. He enjoyed the

Asked about his comfort with Curry and Green, as well as his long association with coach Steve Kerr and his overall satisfaction with the franchise, Klay took a wistful detour into a poignant memory.

“I also played for Mark Jackson,” Thompson said, referring to the coach when he was drafted in 2011. “Yes, I love everyone here. From the security who does the talking at the games, to the security from the Oracle days; still friends with them. To the community of Oakland. I mean, yeah, I actually grew up in the Bay Area. I’ve lived here since I was 21. I’ve always loved it.”

Thompson mentioned his connection to Eric Housen, a 37-year Warriors employee who rose from ball boy to vice president of team operations. Klay glanced at Raymond Ridder, a 26-year employee who served as vice president of communications. Once again an association that has grown over the years.

All of this took place about 17 hours after Golden State’s season came to a hard halt in a 118-94 loss to the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday night. Thompson played an extremely fruitless game, being ruthlessly exploited in defense and missing all ten of his shots.

“A big old doughnut,” he said of his scoreless 32 minutes in Sacramento.

This is not the way anyone would want to go out, especially someone of his lofty stature. Someone who is a five-time NBA All-Star, with four championship rings, multiple record-setting games and is one of the most beloved players in Warriors history.

Minutes after this season ended, Curry said he wants Thompson to stay with the Warriors. Green said much the same thing. Kerr was more persistent, saying the Warriors “need Klay back.”

When I conveyed these thoughts to Thompson on Wednesday, he was grateful but not affirmative.

“It means a lot,” Thompson said. “I mean, we’ve been through the highest highs and the highest lows. Whether it’s losing a championship, winning a championship, missing the playoffs, we’ve been through it all together, so that means a lot.

“It makes me grateful to have the times I had with them. That was pretty historic stuff.”

Nothing in the sense of keeping the core together. Nothing on where the Warriors stand in relation to expected interest in the league. And, most strikingly, nothing at all about what she – Curry, Green and Thompson – can still perform like Warriors.

However, there was something Thompson said he still hopes to accomplish in the final NBA seasons.

“Obviously you want to keep winning,” he said. “When you’ve been part of winning seasons, you don’t really want to give that up. So I would like to win again. One for the thumb would be nice. I still think it’s within reach. It’s just going to take, yeah, a huge effort.

“But apart from that, I have to think about that: what will really make you happy in the last few years of your career.”

Thompson thinks a lot in that regard. He keeps those thoughts to himself. But if you listen carefully to his words, you may be able to hear them.

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