Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has revealed his worries surrounding the future of teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green after their 2023–24 season came to an abrupt end following their defeat in the Play-In Tournament to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Curry, Thompson, and Green are currently the second-longest-serving trio in NBA history, having been teammates for 12 years, just falling behind to Spurs’ iconic trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, who were together for 14 years.
Golden State’s defeat to the Kings at Golden 1 Center marked the first time in their history they have missed out on the playoffs when their history-making trio is healthy, and Curry said on Tuesday night he has never thought of himself playing without Thompson and Green.
“I can never see myself not with those two guys,” the two-time MVP said. “I understand this league changes and there’s so many things that go into it.
“We’re not going to play forever; we’ve experienced so much together. And then in a day, like, again, I know they want to win, I know I want to win. And that’s what I’m worried about.”
Thompson fell short against Sacramento, failing to score a single point in 32 minutes of action, shooting 0-of-10 from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out one assist.
However, Curry leapt in support of his longtime teammate and one half of the “Splash Brothers” after what could be termed Thompson’s worst-ever game.
“Everybody’s going to talk about one game,” Curry said. “I know he wanted to play better. I know he’s a true champion.”
“We all prepare ourselves to play our best when the lights are bright. When it doesn’t happen, nobody needs to tell you anything.”
Green recently signed a four-year $100 million contract extension with the Warriors in the 2023 offseason, while, Thompson, who was drafted by the Warriors with the eleventh overall pick in 2011, approaches this summer with some uncertainty surrounding his future as he enters unrestricted free agency.
Additionally, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr touched on the future of Thompson, stating that his importance to the team’s structure cannot be overemphasised.
“We need Klay back. I know he had a tough night tonight, but what he represents for us—the spacing—we’re not a deep shooting team. We’re a little top-heavy,” Kerr said.
“Klay’s presence means so much to the spacing of the floor, to the flow of the offense. He’s still got good years left. We want him back. Obviously, there’s business at hand, and that has to be addressed. … What Klay has meant to this franchise, as good he still is, we desperately want him back.”
