The Golden State Warriors’ iconic championship run with the core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green ended last week when Thompson agreed to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency.
Thompson’s departure from Golden State marked the end of an era that delivered the franchise four titles and six trips to the NBA Finals in 13 years. The Warriors, in every sense of the word, were a dynasty, and Curry believes that what the team accomplished won’t be replicated again.
“I mean, obviously defining a dynasty can take on a lot of different looks,” Curry said in an exclusive interview with ESPN. “People thought this was over in 2019, but 2022 was an amazing championship because we defied the odds. …That’s 11 of almost 12 years of championship relevancy built around a certain core. I don’t think [it will be replicated] just because it’s very hard to keep things together in this league. A lot more player movement. Me, Klay and Draymond, we complemented each other so well for so long. We all brought something different to the table, so we’ll see. Records are meant to be broken. Dynasties come all different shapes inside of us so we’ll see.”
As for the departure of Thompson, Curry just wants him to find joy in basketball again after an acrimonious season that saw the departed 34-year-old get relegated to the bench due to poor stretches of play in a contract year.
“It’s something that I never imagined would be a reality, but we want him to be happy,” Curry said.
Steve Kerr expressed an appreciation for Thompson over the weekend at Team USA training camp in Las Vegas, as the Warriors move forward without one of the stars of the championship era in the Bay Area.
An era that may not be seen again.