Klay Thompson ended a 13-year tenure with the Golden State Warriors this summer. He has spent his entire career with the franchise and was a major part of the teams championship winning core. He will now be suiting up for the Dallas Mavericks after agreeing a three-year $50 million contract with the Western Conference champions.
During a recent interview with ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth, Draymond Green admitted that he hasn’t allowed himself to process his long-time teammate’s departure from the franchise. He noted how he’s currently suppressing his emotions but stressed his happiness for Thompson following his move.
“It’s a classic tale of suppressing your emotions right now,” Green said. “I haven’t allowed myself to really process it. I don’t want to. I feel like I’ll face it when I have to face it. But nonetheless, I’m happy for Klay, happy he gets the opportunity to play basketball at a high level and getting back to feeling like Klay. So I’m looking forward to that and I think he’s going to have a really big year and he’s going to show people he’s still got a lot left in the tank.”
Golden State has been active during the free agency period. They have acquired multiple new faces, including Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. As such, Green will have multiple new teammates to build relationships with in the coming months.
"It's a classic tale of supressing your emotions … I haven't allowed myself to really process it."
Draymond on Klay's departure 🥲 pic.twitter.com/s7t2g34DoW
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) July 15, 2024
Nevertheless, Thompson’s absence will undoubtedly be felt heading into training camp, at which point, Green must accept that his longtime teammate is no longer with the franchise and will instead he will be suiting up for a conference rival.
