Klay Thompson Makes Stunning Admission

So the Golden State Warriors stood pat at the trade deadline, doubling down on the big three of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. All three of the four-time NBA champs insist that their run isn't over yet. 

As for Thompson, he'll be a free agent at season's end, and he's admitted he'll do whatever it takes to stick around in The Bay—even if it means a reduced role. 

Klay Thompson says he’s open to a reduced role if it means staying with the Warriors, per @loganmmurdock

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll be 35 next year. At 35, coming off the ACL and an Achilles [tear] and still have the ability to be a really good player. Maybe not the… pic.twitter.com/kTgP2fJ3or

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 12, 2024

He didn't seem ready to fess up to that eventually before the season started, when he turned down what he thought was a low-ball extension offer. But this year has been humbling for Klay, and he's ready to take a more dimished role. 

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll be 35 next year. At 35, coming off the ACL and an Achilles [tear] and still have the ability to be a really good player. Maybe not the guy who scored 60 in three quarters and scored an NBA record 37 points in a quarter, but still a great threat out there. I’ve modeled my game after Reggie [Miller] and Ray [Allen], and those guys were incredibly effective until their late 30s. So I plan on kind of following that mold.”

Thompson has had the least effective season of his career since his rookie year, averaging 16.9 points and a career-low 37.3% from the three-point line (still not too shabby, to be sure). 

Klay is in the last season of a five-year, $190 million contract, and the Warriors reportedly before this season offered him an extension "in the range" of two-years, $48 million. He turned it down.  

As for his fellow Splash Brother, Curry does not want to move from his backcourt partner of the last 13 years (minus the two full seasons Thompson missed with the knee and Achilles injuries). 

"It’s always been about us trying to figure out the different groups and different supporting cast and the different challenges around us,” Curry says. “And we’ve built this culture...This is a story that’s still kind of unfolding, and it’s important that we see it all the way through until it’s proven that we can’t win.” 

The Warriors haven't been doing a lot of winning this season, sitting at .500 at 25-25, just barely clinging to the 10th spot and the final Play-In position in the Western Conference. 

Photo: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports