Klay Thompson has given insight into where he thinks he’ll fit at the Warriors long term, as he faces an uncertain future.
It’s no secret that Klay wants to be Warrior for life and he recently explained that he’s willing to go as far as taking a reduced role to keep playing in The Bay.
“Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Thompson told The Ringer’s Logan Murdock. “I’ll be 35 next year. At 35, coming off the ACL and an Achilles [tear] and still have the ability to be a really good player. Maybe not the guy who scored 60 in three quarters and scored an NBA record 37 points in a quarter, but still a great threat out there.
“I’ve modeled my game after Reggie [Miller] and Ray [Allen], and those guys were incredibly effective until their late 30s. So I plan on kind of following that mold.”
Thompson and the Warriors are yet to come to agreement on a contract beyond the 2023-24 season.
But, the four championships Klay’s earned alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green are priceless to him.
“I mean, just for where we started,” Thompson told Murdock. “The Warriors before we got there had a good history as far as Wilt and Rick Barry and TMC and We Believe. I think we elevated that to another level. I just think it’s a special, special group, and then when we win and go to so many championships together, … it’s like a bond for life.
“It’s probably the best part of the job, honestly. Trumps the money, trumps the fame, just being able to have a bond for life with those guys.”
Thompson has had an inconsistent season and has been getting benched in clutch time by Steve Kerr during recent games.
But Klay’s recent mindset switch has allowed him to enjoy the ride, even if he isn’t hitting all the shots he used to.
“I put in so much work to get back to even just playing basketball that I just needed a little perspective shift and rather than trying to be the old me or be an All-Star in the NBA or whatever,” Thompson said. “Just to be as effective as I can in my current role and, most importantly, just have fun, man, because at the end of the day, I only have so many years more doing this and got to have fun.”