Steve Kerr admits ‘there were signs’ of Klay Thompson wanting to move on

After reaching the NBA Finals and losing the series to the Celtics back in June, the Mavericks surprised the NBA world with one of the hottest trades of the summer. After 13-long seasons with the Warriors, Klay Thompson decided to change his luck and try something new in Dallas, as he’s convinced this team has something “special.”

As for the Texan franchise, they hope the four-time champion is the missing ingredient to push them towards their first NBA title in a decade. In Golden State, they are hoping that his absence won’t affect their aspirations as title contenders, a status that they’ve held together for over a decade now after winning four championships.

In a recently interview with The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on The TK Show, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr thoroughly talked about Thompson’s exit and acknowledged that there were some clear indications that the sharpshooter was already prepared to move on since last season.

Steve Kerr: “What I like about this team, even though we lost Klay, we have more shooting depth. We have more guys that can step in and make threes one night to the next.” pic.twitter.com/pgb28yHTlo

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 10, 2024

“Yeah, there were signs,” the tactician started out. “Obviously, none of us knew what would happen; we all wanted him to stay. I wanted Klay to be a Warrior for life—it felt like the right thing.”

Despite this feeling surrounding the Golden State locker room, Kerr revealed that he always wanted the best for his player. “But you never really know what the right thing is for someone else; only that person knows. And by the end of the year, I think Klay knew, for his own sake, that he wanted to leave,” he assured.

Despite Klay’s resentment to the situation he got himself into through poor performances, coach Kerr was already open to support his player’s decision to leave. For the first time since his rookie season, Thompson ended up in the bench during several games this past campaign.

“I’m happy for him,” the Golden State coach insisted. “I think this will be a great move. He’s going to play for a great team with two high-level creators in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, which should give him a lot of open looks. Sometimes a career change, especially late in your career, can really refresh and recharge you.”

Dallas’ Superstar Duo Doncic and Irving Concur That The Ex-Warriors Guard Will Be Key To Their Title Aspirations

“Championship.” That was the word that Luka Doncic chose when he was asked for one word that could summarize what will be the Mavericks’ approach to this upcoming NBA season. He only needed a couple of seconds to come up with the perfect answer, during the team’s media day before departing to Las Vegas for training camp.

“That’s the goal,” he insisted, as he had one player in his mind. The expectation in Dallas is that Klay Thompson’s arrival this summer will serve as the ideal ingredient to improve the squad’s winning formula, which almost won last campaign’s title in the Finals against Boston.

The four-time champion, who spent 13 magical years in Golden State, should have the mindset needed to win it all. “I feel like our dreams can be possible because he’s here now,” Kyrie Irving said about the sharpshooter, who was his 2011 draft classmate. “He’s added a great value to our championship aspirations.”

While the veteran guard made emphasis on how Klay’s experience can be vital, there is some doubt over how effective the ex-Warriors star can really be at 34-years of age. Despite his elite shooting, it is true that Thompson wasn’t performing at his best this last season in California.