Why Warriors' Divorce with Klay Thompson Looks Like Blessing 1.5 Years Later

Klay Thompson is an all-time great Warrior and a fan favorite. The Warriors will retire his jersey one day. He deserves a Chase Center statue.

With all that being said, their divorce was a blessing in disguise.

It's not just about how Thompson is currently playing. It's also about how the Warriors have evolved since then, and why their present looks better than it would have looked with him.

Quick Recap of the Divorce

The Warriors reportedly offered Thompson a two-year, $48 million extension before his final season in Golden State. He turned it down.

Thompson's play dipped a bit in 2023-24, but it wasn't a dramatic drop-off. Still, his role became less clear after he was asked to come off the bench in parts of February and March. He finished the season averaging 17.9 points per game with a 38.7 three-point percentage—drops from 21.9 points and 41.2 3PT the year prior.

On July 1, Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade to Dallas.

Thompson's Current Struggles

Thompson's numbers fell a little bit more in his first season in Dallas. He averaged 14.0 points, his lowest since his rookie season. His field-goal percentage (41.2) and three-point percentage (39.1) were well below his career averages of 45.0 and 41.0.

But considering he was brought in to be a high-end role player, he had a satisfactory season.

The early returns this season have been anything but.

Lacking in playmaking after trading Luka Doncic last year, the Mavericks have been a mess. It's not Thompson's fault that they are a mess—Nico Harrison wins that title—but the results have been abysmal all the same.

Thompson is averaging career lows in minutes (20.0), points (7.6), shooting percentage (31.6) and three-point percentage (26.4).

The 35-year-old is now the subject of trade rumors, and it's fair to assume he can still provide value on a more competitive team. But it's also fair to wonder how much he has declined.

Warriors' Evolution Since the Divorce

It wasn't just that the Warriors looked old in their play-in tournament loss to the Kings to end the 2023-24 season—Thompson's final game as a Warrior.

It was that they looked stale.

Stephen Curry was being relied on more than ever to create offensive advantages. He was still doing so, but not to the same effect as teams were keyed in on the Warriors' main plays with no worry that anyone else would threaten them.

Since then, the Warriors have signed Moses Moody to a bargain three-year extension, traded for and extended Jimmy Butler and signed Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year contract.

If Thompson were still under contract for $24 million per season, how many of these transactions would still have happened? At the least, it would've been unlikely to keep Butler and Kuminga due to the team's payroll. But the butterfly effect is much bigger than that.

The Kyle Anderson salary acquired in the Thompson sign-and-trade was part of Miami's trade return for Butler. The Warriors signed De'Anthony Melton to a one-year deal shortly after losing Thompson. His salary slot became Dennis Schroder, whose salary was needed to facilitate the Butler trade.

There's an alternate reality in which the Warriors have Thompson and are still searching for a star to help Curry.

Instead, the Warriors have Butler, who has provided the Warriors with offensive creation Curry and the team needed desperately. They also have Moody and Kuminga playing big roles while providing the defensive dirty work that Thompson hasn't provided since returning from Achilles and ACL injuries in January 2022.

The Warriors looked rejuvenated in the 2025 playoffs, knocking off the Houston Rockets before a Curry injury dashed their hopes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The roster is still old, but it's also dangerous in a way it might not be if Thompson were still around.