There were various questions about the legacy of the Golden State Warriors Big 3 after the team failed to make it to the playoffs. While the answers are still awaited, former Warriors head coach, Mark Jackson, suggested how they should proceed while preparing for the next season. He claimed that the legendary trio has already lived the best time together and it’s time to move on, “It’s decision time. They’ve had an incredible run.”
Jackson was recently on the ‘Gil’s Arena’ podcast where he was asked if the dynasty has any more life left. Giving an unpopular opinion, the 59-year-old claimed that Klay Thompson still has a lot to offer, and the Warriors can benefit by keeping him around.
However, Jackson stated that it isn’t going to be easy for the Warriors to restructure their squad while keeping the elements of the dynasty intact. He said that many difficult decisions need to be made and the toughest would be to fit Thompson into the team.
According to Jackson, the Splash brother, who got used to coming off the bench, will have to fight for his spot in the team alongside Brandin Podziemski.
Some fine-tuning is required for the Warriors to bounce back after this year’s colossal failure. Jackson is still willing to bet on Stephen Curry and his ability to take the team to a championship, but it’d be a scary bet to put it all on Steph because he is 36 years old now.
The Chef can’t be expected to put this team on his back, instead, they will have to try new combinations with attack, defense, and rotation to figure out what works better, and which player operates at their best in those situations. If the Warriors manage to keep Thompson, they’ll at least have one piece of the puzzle figured out.
Does Klay Thompson need a new team?
The last time when KT was a free agent in 2019, it brought him a five-year, $190 million contract extension. It was a different phase when he averaged 21.5 points per game, shooting 40.2% from the 3-point line.
However, the circumstances are different now. Back then, he was a dependable player who could change the outcome of games at will whereas now, he is struggling with his form. During a recent appearance on ‘The Draymond Green Show’, Klay detailed his experience in free agency, “Free agency is not a fun place. Free agency kind of sucks.”
However, several analysts like Kendrick Perkins believe that Thompson needs a change, “I feel like a change of scenery would do wonders for Klay Thompson. I also feel like somebody is gonna offer him a bigger bag than what the Golden State Warriors are gonna offer him this offseason.”
Amidst all the murmurs, last month, Thompson was asked about his future. He replied,
“To be honest with you, I haven’t really given it much thought because of what I previously just said about the season we had and how much commitment it takes to play the games that we did and give it our all. So, I haven’t really thought about that deep into the future because I still need to process the year we had.”
It’s been almost three weeks since he sounded confused about his future. Fans expect him to soon be in a better headspace to answer the question that’s been bugging the entire franchise and their fans.
