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After the Golden State Warriors’ season-ending play-in tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, head coach Steve Kerr expressed the importance of keeping Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson around for the rest of their careers.
“It’s rarely a storybook,” Kerr said, per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “Even the ’96 or ’98 Bulls, you know, the team was broken up and we won the championship in our last year, but there was a documentary about what a disaster the whole thing was. It’s impossible for this stuff to end perfectly.”
“I do think there is a lot of value to having our three guys being Warriors for life. I think there’s a lot of value in ending with dignity … so, for those three I really want to see all of them finish their careers here but also finish out their careers with a sense of pride and dignity in what they’re doing.”
The three have been with Golden State their entire careers, winning four championships since the 2014-15 season. Amid the Warriors’ struggles, there have been questions of whether it’s time to move in a different direction, but Kerr believes keeping them together is the right move.
Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. echoed Kerr’s sentiment Thursday, expressing that he wants to keep Thompson and Green around next season.
Thompson is set to enter free agency this offseason and has already been linked to the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks as potential suitors. As the offseason ramps up, it’s likely many teams will look to sign the veteran shooting guard.
With Thompson’s performance this season, it could be difficult for Golden State to match a sizeable offer from another team. Thomspon averaged 17.9 points per game this season, which was his lowest mark since the 2012-13 season. In Tuesday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, he went 0-of-10 from the field.
Draymond Green put up 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and six assists per game this year, but added to the Warriors’ struggles with a pair of suspensions. He faced a five-game suspension in November after an incident with Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert and was suspended indefinitely after striking Phoenix Suns’ Jusuf Nurkić just six games after returning.
His indefinite suspension cost him 16 games, during which the Warriors went 8-8.
But the Dubs have been in a similar position before. When they missed the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, many declared it was time to break the trio up. In 2022, Golden State responded by winning a championship.
Whether Curry, Thompson and Green have another Finals run in them is unclear, but for now, Kerr wants to let them finish what they started.
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