The Golden State Warriors thanked Klay Thompson for the 13 seasons that he spent with the team in a statement released on Monday.
“The amount of joy and happiness that Klay provided Warriors fans, Bay Area natives and Dub Nation supporters all around the world has been immense and cannot be minimized,” the statement said.
The organization also revealed a plan to retire Thompson’s No. 11 jersey “where he will join a host of Warriors immortals, including those who helped shape this recent dynasty.”
On Monday, the 34-year-old was acquired by the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade that involved the Warriors and the Charlotte Hornets, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He received a three-year, $50 million contract.
The Warriors also received two second-round picks as part of the deal (via Wojnarowski).
While Thompson’s departure from the organization wasn’t a certainty throughout last season, negotiations on a new contract in the offseason weren’t promising. Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on June 22 that there was “no productive discussion” between both sides, and there wasn’t an offer on the table.
The situation didn’t seem to be getting any better, as “cordial goodbyes” were shared between Thompson and “high-ranking” members of the organization before the start of free agency (per Tim Kawakami of The Athletic).
Still, Thompson played a key role during one of the most successful runs by an organization in NBA history. He made five All-Star appearances, earned two All-NBA nods, and won four championships with Golden State. He ranks No. 6 on the Warriors’ all-time scoring list and also holds the No. 6 spot on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers list.
Injuries ended up slowing him down in recent years, as a torn ACL prevented him from playing during the 2019-20 season. He missed the next year due to a torn Achilles, which also limited him to just 32 appearances during his 2021-22 campaign.
Although he was hampered by injuries during the tail end of his Warriors career, his overall tenure with the organization was immensely successful and the team already has plans for his jersey to hang in the Chase Center.
