One of the key pieces of the Warriors’ dynasty is likely hitting the open market.
Golden State is “preparing” for Klay Thompson to leave the team in free agency, The Athletic reported Saturday afternoon.
Per the outlet, Golden State — which has almost had no communication with him over the last two weeks — is open to a sign-and-trade with Thompson, who just finished out his five-year $189.9 million contract.
The Athletic reported that the Lakers, Clippers and Mavericks are expected to be strongly in the mix for the five-time NBA All-Star.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Warriors are prioritizing Paul George as a target after he opted out of his Clippers player option Saturday.
Stein added that the Lakers are “hopeful” to be in play for Thompson.
All of this comes after Thompson — who has won four NBA Finals with the Warriors — unfollowed the team on his Instagram and removed a large chunk of Golden State-related posts on the platform.
Thompson averaged 17.9 points over 77 games this past season, his lowest mark since the 2012-13 campaign.
If Thompson does in fact leave, it will officially break up the core of Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green that has been the foundation of the team’s success for the last decade-plus.
Thompson has been a key piece for the Warriors since entering the league in 2011, helping them reach the NBA Finals six times.
After knee and Achilles injuries kept him out from the entirety of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Thompson returned to form in 2021-22 with a 20.4 point-per-game mark en route to the Warriors’ win over the Celtics for the NBA crown.