After a marriage that produced four NBA titles, Klay Thompson and the Warriors are no more.
On Monday, Golden State parted ways with the sharpshooter after long-standing speculation that a divorce was in order, with Thompson signing a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
Although the terms of the sign-and-trade have yet to be finalized, the Warriors are expected to net two second-round picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Now, Golden State seems to be angling to land a marquee replacement.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Warriors have called the Utah Jazz about former All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, with Utah having “tangible discussions” regarding a Markkanen trade.
Fischer added the current expectation is that Markkanen will not be traded.
Other reports indicated that Golden State attempted to land nine-time All-Star Paul George via trade, but George instead opted out of the final year of his deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Another notable player still on the market is six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, but the 34-year-old California native has been linked to a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
Other free-agent forward options include Saddiq Bey, Miles Bridges, Caleb Martin and Gordon Hayward.
A more surprising trade option could be Pelicans All-Star Brandon Ingram, who has just one year left on his $158 million contract — although the Duke product has been connected to the Sacramento Kings.
For the first time since 2010-11, the Warriors will compete in a season without Thompson, disrupting the team’s typical continuous lineup of superstar Steph Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green.
While Golden State figures to return primary starter Andrew Wiggins, as well as second-year guard Brandin Podziemski and forward Jonathan Kuminga, it appears the existing depth is insufficient.
Thompson looked like a diminished version of himself last season, even being benched for much of the team’s second half, but was still one of the more impressive players in the association over the last five-plus years — and a franchise legend.
“We can’t overstate Klay Thompson’s incredible and legendary contributions with the Warriors,” the team said in a statement. “Klay’s legacy will live on forever and we look forward to the day we can retire his #11 jersey at Chase Center, where he will join a host of Warriors immortals, including those who helped shape this recent dynasty—himself included.”
One way or another, it appears that Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. will remain active in acquiring a marquee player to replace Thompson in the team’s quest to return to the playoffs.
