Stephen Curry on Tuesday shared a public goodbye to “Splash Brothers” partner Klay Thompson, who is headed from the Golden State Warriors to the Dallas Mavericks in a reported sign-and-trade.
Curry posted a lengthy series of photos to his Instagram story, all of them featuring Thompson, his longtime backcourt mate with whom he won four NBA championships. The story concluded with a nod to the success of the unmatched shooting duo.
“Gonna miss you, @klaythompson,” Curry wrote on Instagram. “Even though we won’t finish the journey together, what we did will never be done again. Couldn’t have imagined a better run with you and [Draymond Green]. Changed the whole Bay Area. Changed the way the game is played. Killa Klay at the center of it all. Thank you for everything, bro. Go enjoy playing basketball and doing what you do. Splash Bros 4 life, my guy.”
The Warriors on Monday night bid farewell to Thompson and promised his No. 11 jersey would be retired by the team. The team did not comment on the specifics of the trade, which will reportedly involve the Charlotte Hornets as well as Dallas.
ESPN reported Thompson would sign a three-year, $50 million contract to join the Mavericks and team with all-star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Warriors will receive a financial trade exception and two second-round picks.
A career 41.3 percent 3-point shooter, Thompson averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 793 games, including 742 starts, with the Warriors. He scored 17.6 points per game last season, his first season under a 20-point average since 2013–14, when he was at 18.4 points per game.
His 38.7 percent 3-point accuracy last season was the second-lowest of his career. Thompson spent part of last season coming off the bench. In 14 games as a reserve, he averaged 19.8 points and shot 43 percent from 3-point range.
