Warriors GM Drops Blunt Statement on Klay Thompson As Free Agency Looms

Kristen Wong | Jun 25, 2024

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy gave an honest answer on the team’s ongoing negotiations with Klay Thompson that would suggest the franchise is trying to keep him, amid recent rumors.

“We want him back,” Dunleavy said in a press conference Monday. “I think we’ve said that all along. Hopeful he’ll come back, but as far as the specifics of discussions and those types of things, I think it’s important to keep in-house.”

Thompson, 34, will become an unrestricted free agent on June 30, at which point he’s expected to “test free agency before a decision is made,” according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.

Thompson’s intention to leave the only NBA franchise he has ever played for was also reported on by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater earlier this week, who wrote that talks between the four-time NBA champ and the Warriors were “frozen” and that Thompson’s exit “feels closer and more probable than ever before.”

The two-way All-Star averaged 17.9 points last season, his fewest since the 2012-13 campaign, though he did shoot a solid 38.7% from three-point range.

With the Warriors trying to make the most out of the twilight years of Steph Curry, it’s seeming more and more likely that the other beloved Splash Brother is on his way out, despite Dunleavy’s latest hopeful statement.

“I think being reasonable and rational, that’s always how I’m going to operate but to say about a guy like Klay Thompson, who’s meant so much to this franchise, to completely strip the emotion away from it, I think that’s almost impossible,” continued Dunleavy. “I think it’s about what the right thing that works for the franchise and the player and the role he is in. Factoring all of those things in is what’s most important, and that’s what is taking place and what we’re looking at.”