SAN FRANCISCO — For the past several years, the Golden State Warriors have consistently been asked how much longer they can keep their dynasty together.
Their title in 2022 bought them a year. But, following last season’s second-round exit and Draymond Green‘s free agency, the question resurfaced.
And now, after getting run off the floor and out of the postseason by the Sacramento Kings and with Klay Thompson heading into unrestricted free agency, the question is even louder.
The hope within the organization is that the core of Thompson, Green and Stephen Curry can remain intact. But there’s no hiding from the fact that it’s easier said than done.
“It’s rarely a storybook,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said at his exit interview Thursday. “Even the ’96 or ’98 Bulls, you know, the team was broken up and we won the championship in our last year but there was a documentary about what a disaster the whole thing was. It’s impossible for this stuff to end perfectly.”
“I do think there is a lot of value to having our three guys being Warriors for life. I think there’s a lot of value in ending with dignity … so, for those three I really want to see all of them finish their careers here but also finish out their careers with a sense of pride and dignity in what they’re doing.”
The Warriors’ 24-point loss to the Kings, in which Thompson shot 0-for-10 — a goose egg, as he called it — is not the dignified ending they’re hoping for.
Kerr, Green and Curry have all voiced their desire for Thompson to strike a new deal with Golden State.
On Thursday, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. echoed those sentiments.
“Certainly, we want Klay back,” Dunleavy said. “I expressed that to him yesterday.”
He also added that he can’t imagine a scenario in which Green doesn’t return. Green still has $77 million and three years left on the contract extension he signed last summer.
But much of the turbulence the Warriors experienced this season was by Green’s doing. Kerr called the actions that ended in Green’s indefinite suspension “unforgivable” at the time.
“And yet I forgave him,” Kerr said Thursday with a smile.
Green’s value to the Warriors comes down to how much he helps the team. And Kerr believes that value is still extremely high. So high that they can balance how to deal with his flaws.
“He’s one of the most competitive, he’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around,” Kerr said. “And yet he makes these decisions…
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