For the first time in his career, Klay Thompson won’t team with Stephen Curry.
Monday signified the end of an era when the Golden State Warriors moved Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade. The star shooting guard won four rings while sharing the backcourt with Curry since 2011.
Thompson didn’t want his superstar teammate to intervene in free-agency talks. According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Thompson asked Curry not to pressure Golden State’s front office to retain him.
“It’s been a layered five-year path to this divorce, splintering last season, sprouting earlier and finalizing in the last couple weeks, where —among the conversations Thompson had, league sources said — was a request of Stephen Curry not to exert his significant organizational influence and up the temperature with management to ensure Thompson’s return,” Slater wrote. “Curry’s measured voice, even if it altered the outcome, wouldn’t change the genuineness of Joe Lacob and the front office’s true desire to have Thompson back.”
Slater said the Warriors “never had the chance” to make Thompson an official offer after the season. League sources believed the veteran decided to leave Golden State “weeks ago.”
For over a decade, Curry and Thompson formed the most prolific shooting duo in NBA history. Known as the Splash Brothers, they top the all-time leaderboard in postseason three-pointers made.
Following Thompson’s departure, the Warriors released a statement saying they “look forward to the day” they retire his No. 11.
“The amount of joy and happiness that Klay provided Warriors fans, Bay Area natives, and Dub Nation supporters all around the world has been immense and cannot be minimalized,” the statement said. “His penchant for delivering in pressurized situations on the biggest stage, including many Game 6 heroics, has helped define a career.”
Related: Klay Thompson Is Officially Leaving The Warriors In Free Agency