Report: Warriors think they can’t contend without Klay Thompson
The Golden State Warriors front office is a peculiar bunch.
With Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Kevin Love openly available and the T’Wolves front office being intrigued by what Golden State has to offer, GSW is literally a Klay Thompson away from acquiring Kevin Love. And instead of letting one-half of the Splash Brothers loose, they’ve held onto him, questioning whether Love is actually worth it.
In the latest update on this saga, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports the Warriors think they’ll be unable to contend for a championship with Klay Thompson on the roster.
"How can they fit Love’s expected massive deal in with Thompson and all the rest, even if Lee goes to Minnesota in the projected trade?Wouldn’t Thompson have to go, too?But again, I’ve heard that the Warriors believe they don’t get into title contention with Love unless they keep Thompson, too.I’m told the Warriors have done the spreadsheet work and believe Thompson can still be squeezed in."
By no measure is Klay Thompson not a good player. But in comparison to Kevin Love, he’s easily replaceable. With Love, it’s unclear if the Warriors are a championship team–or contender–but it puts them one step closer. When healthy, a core of Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Bogut competes with that of Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Houston, and Los Angeles (Clippers).
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They retain their defensive core while improving ten-fold offensively by adding Love who averaged 26.1 points (45/37/82 shooting splits), 12.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game with Minnesota last season. He’s a better compliment to Stephen Curry, they don’t lose anything at the three-point line, and Love’s presence would allow the Warriors versatility on the floor.
Not often do front offices hold on to super role players when a superstar is attainable, but based on the NBA’s history this could all be fluff. But with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony expected to choose their free agent destinations soon, the Warriors could miss out on a real gift as teams will turn their attention–and assets–to Minnesota and Kevin Love.