Kerr admits Klay’s signings during the season signaled his departure from the Warriors Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
An uncertain future may have already been in sight 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, could be open to a change of scenery this offseason before ultimately signing a three-year, $50 million sign-and-trade deal. contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
“Yes, there were signs,” Kerr told Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard in the last episode of “The TK Show”. “Obviously, none of us knew what was going to happen, we all wanted him to stay. I wanted Klay to be a warrior for life, I felt like it was the right thing to do. But you never really know what’s right for someone else, only that person knows. And I think by the end of the year, I think Klay knew for his own good that he wanted to leave.
“I’m happy for him, I think it’s going to be a big step. He’ll be playing on a great team, with two high-level players (Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving), and he should get a lot of free throws. I think sometimes a change in career, a change at the end of a career, can renew you 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 tendon in the fall of 2020 — continued to take a mental toll on the Warriors sharpshooter, even two years after he returned to the court in January 2022.
“I hope Klay can overcome 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 grim for the Warriors and Dub Nation and another sign that Golden State’s dynasty is coming to an end, could open the door to other exciting opportunities in the lineup 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 approach it in a positive way. There are minutes there and there’s also an opportunity to play a little bit different, to do some different things and to discover some things about our team, 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 shooting from three-point range while jumping from the starting lineup to the bench in 77 games played.
While it can be argued that the Warriors’ current roster is better now than it was last season with the additions of veteran, versatile depth pieces in place of an aging Thompson who was 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.