After Tuesday's play-in championship loss to the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr made clear how he feels about veteran Klay Thompson.
“We need Klay back,” Kerr said. “I know he had a tough night tonight, but what he represents for us is spacing… Klay's presence means a lot for spacing on the floor, for the flow of the offense.”
Thompson was held scoreless in the Warriors' 118-94 loss, eliminating the team from playoff contention. The 34-year-old Thompson, who spent his entire career with the Warriors, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. After the play-in game, Stephen Curry said he “could never see myself without those two guys,” referring to Thompson and Draymond Green.
“He still has good years ahead of him,” Kerr added. “And I know I speak for everyone in (the organization) — we want him back.
“What Klay means to this franchise, even though he's still good, we want him back so bad.”
Draymond Green on his belief the organization will prioritize Klay Thompson: “They did right by me. They did right by Steph. They did right by all of us. Klay tore his ACL and they gave him $160 million. pic.twitter.com/Px3jR74cQz
– Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 17, 2024
Thompson struggled mightily against Sacramento, going 0-of-10 from the field in 32 minutes. For the regular season, he averaged 17.9 points per game and shot 38.7 percent from 3. He has a career average of 19.6 points per game.
“I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. To play for one franchise, man? That's pretty rare,” Thompson said. The athlete in October. “In any sport. Football. Baseball. Basketball. Australian rules football. Playing for one club is crazy. It's some real legendary stuff. Even what Udonis Haslem did. He's respected in Miami. Locally. That's what I cherish.”
“Going around the country, touring around the world, people from Northern California or Warriors fans in general are very proud of the Warriors. And I was here before the banners were put up. So, in a way, it's our baby. You want to ride it. I've been very fortunate Being part of this franchise it would be very difficult to imagine myself in another uniform.”
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