Why Draymond Didn’t Try to Convince Klay to Stay with the Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green was sad to see Klay Thompson leave the Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks, but he didn’t try to change his teammate’s mind.
Instead, Green was only positive when his Golden State teammate recently called him to announce his big decision.
Green explained on the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show” why he didn’t try to convince Thompson to stay with Golden State.
“When he called me, I didn’t even want to try to talk him out of leaving, or anything like, ‘Yo, you gotta stay,’ because all the reasons that you would give — they’re well known, well documented,” Green said. “When he said, ‘Yeah, I’m leaving,’ I just said, ‘Man, I’m happy for you.’ Not once was it like, ‘Maybe you should rethink this, you got time to rethink this.’
“Seeing him struggle the way he did last year — if you ever care about someone’s well-being … going through the struggles with someone … I hope that the care you have for that person goes far beyond what you might think is best for yourself or what you want to see. I couldn’t go and say, ‘I want to stay’ or ‘You should stay for this reason.'”
The injuries, bad shooting, lineup changes and general wear and tear that comes with a 13-year career took their toll on Thompson heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, and Green knew it.
Plus, as Green said, there was nothing more to say to Thompson about the Warriors. He knew everything there was to know and just wanted a fresh start.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Thompson’s career with Golden State is over. But that doesn’t mean the 34-year-old’s relationship with the organization has to be permanently sour.
Green hopes the two parties will have a healthy dynamic in the future.
“All great things must come to an end,” Green said. “At the end of the day, I hope the organization — and I know they do — appreciates Klay and everything he’s done, and I hope Klay appreciates the organization for everything this organization has done for us.
“We had the best organization in the NBA supporting us and giving us opportunities [and] the things we need to make that increase happen… I hope he values the organization and the organization values him.”
Thompson will forever be a Warriors and Bay Area legend. But for now, he’s a Maverick.
While it will take some getting used to, Green knows Thompson is happy with a clean slate in a new organization.
And the “Splash Brother” certainly deserves that.
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