Big Disagreement Between Warriors and Klay Thompson Revealed

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The Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson have officially parted ways, as the four-time NBA champion embarks on a new journey with the Dallas Mavericks. There were several dynamics that led to this point, and in a recent article from Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, it was revealed that a big disagreement between how Thompson viewed himself vs. how the Warriors viewed him was a driving force behind the two sides parting ways.
"More information is coming out about why Klay Thompson left the Warriors for the Mavericks, and it seems both sides were at fault," Washburn wrote. "Thompson, despite missing two full seasons with injuries, felt he was nearly the same player he was before and the Warriors didn’t agree. Thompson felt as if he should have been compensated with a four-year deal similar to Draymond Green’s and Andrew Wiggins’s, especially since neither has lived up to their contracts."
This is not overly surprising, as Thompson needed to have multiple conversations with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr about not chasing his former self, and instead focusing on being present and thankful for who he still is.
Pretty revealing Klay Thompson postgame soundbite about a conversation he had with Steve Kerr yesterday regarding the need to improve his negative energy, be a better mentor and enjoy the last chapter of his career rather than obsess over stats/performance pic.twitter.com/a9wIxhnkGh
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 3, 2024
As Thompson begins his run with the Mavericks, it seems he will benefit from not having the constant reminders of who he used to be as a player. This has been a reported notion several places, and it makes a lot of sense.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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