What Klay told Draymond in emotional conversation before Warriors exit originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors’ dynastic trio of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson was broken up Monday when the latter joined the Dallas Mavericks in NBA free agency.
And while it wasn’t exactly a surprise to Dub Nation after reports surfaced over the weekend that Thompson was on his way out, the four-time NBA champion let his longtime teammates know last week that he wouldn’t be returning to the Bay in one final, heartfelt conversation.
“I must say, I don’t really know how I feel about it,” Green said in his first public comments since Thompson’s departure on Tuesday’s episode of his podcast. “Klay told us last week. I don’t know who all he told, but I know he talked to me, I’m pretty sure he talked to Steph last week, and he just kind of … started talking through the years, like, ‘[It’s] been great. What we’ve done is so special. You and Steph [are] my brothers forever.’
“And the conversation just kind of starts as small talk, and you’re kind of just prepping yourself, like, ‘Man get me there. I know it’s coming.’ You’re enjoying the conversation, but yet it’s kind of one of those moments of where somebody is building you up before they get you to blow … I was headed to my daughter’s recital so I wasn’t able to go as in depth to the conversation as maybe I would have, which I think also was kind of a good thing for me because when Klay told me, I was just able to listen, and it wasn’t like a, ‘Yo, we could finish like this,’ or, ‘You should rethink this.’
“It was just like, ‘Wow, all right. Congrats bro, I’m happy for you. That’s dope,’ to obviously reassure that [this] changes nothing for us. It changes the basketball court, obviously, but the relationships, they are what they are they are forever.”
Thompson, Green and Curry created a dynasty in the Bay that will stand the test of time. And while one half of the Splash Brothers will be wearing a different uniform next season, the trio’s bond is one that never will be broken. That was evident in Thompson’s approach to letting Green know about his decision in advance.
“The connection, the bond, even as far as all of us being mentioned together — that is forever. That will never change, but it’s — I don’t know. I haven’t really been able to process the feelings … Earlier today, I think I might have dropped a couple tears, a tear or two, just kind of sitting there and thinking.”
There are some moments in life that can’t be prepared for, even if they can be seen coming from a mile away. And even though Green certainly is happy for Thompson’s next step in his NBA journey, it doesn’t make his friend’s departure any easier.
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