Is the Golden State Warriors' dynasty finally over? After their single-elimination Play-In Tournament game on Tuesday, in which they lost to the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings in embarrassing fashion, 118-94, it could very well be over.
Four-time NBA champion and long-time Warrior Klay Thompson will be a free agent this summer, and many signs point to him landing elsewhere in free agency. If that were to be true, this would be the end of one of the greatest dynasty runs in NBA history. However, Warriors head coach Stephen Kerr wants Thompson to stay. After their blowout loss on Tuesday, Kerr advocated for the team to keep the five-time All-Star.
Senior NBA writer for ESPN, Marc Spears, shared the quote from Kerr's press conference via X.
"We need Klay back," Kerr said. "He still has good years left. And I speak for everyone, we want him back."
“We need Klay back,” Steve Kerr said. Kerr added “he still has good years left. And I speak for everyone, we want him back.”
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) April 17, 2024
It's likely no Warriors fan wants to see Thompson in another jersey, as he's donned the Warriors logo across his chest his entire 13-year career. However, the 34-year-old is coming to the end of his five-year, $189.9 million deal, which he signed in 2019. Since his new contract was finalized, it's been a struggle for the sharpshooter. Thompson struggled to return to his elite level after missing two full seasons in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 due to a torn ACL and Achilles.
Thompson suffered the torn ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. A year and a half later, he tore his right Achilles tendon. The injury occurred during a workout in the offseason.
The two-time All-NBA player is a shell of his former self, which was evident against the Kings. Thompson put up a donut in the scoring department, going 0-for-10 along with four rebounds and one assist.
If this is the end of the Warriors, what a ride it was. Thompson, along with future Hall of Famers Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, were as great a trio as the NBA has ever seen. The trio holds 518 wins in the regular season and playoffs, the sixth-most by a trio all-time. They also have 98 playoff wins (when all three play), which is the third most all-time, and won four NBA championships together, tied with the legendary Spurs trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker for the most titles by an All-NBA trio over the last 50 years.
This trio will go down as possibly the greatest of all time and by far the greatest in the 2010s. In his career, Thompson has averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 41.3% from the three.
Thompson will for sure be playing basketball next year as he enters his age-35 season. The only question is: Will he still be in Golden State?
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
A sports enthusiast who happens to also be a writer.
