NBA Rumors: Golden State Warriors May Have to Trade Klay Thompson in Order to Remain Competitive
Among the top news around the NBA recently were reports that Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson had torn his Achilles. Although the situation is extremely disheartening for the player and franchise, NBA Rumors have already surfaced suggesting Thompson could be traded. Thompson is one of the most respected players in the league and enjoyed by fans of the Warriors and neutrals alike.
As an elite player in the NBA, however, the injury has meant that the Warriors may well look for a replacement that can help them recover from a poor season this year.
NBA Rumors: If the Warriors want to be competitive this year, they can form a lucrative trade package including Klay Thompson
Tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Thompson had to watch his side lose to the Toronto Raptors and subsequently spectate the 2019-20 season from the bench. NBA Rumors emerged on Wednesday that Klay Thompson had been injured in practice and unfortunately for the shooting guard, he will now have to wait another full year before returning to play in the NBA after rupturing his Achilles.
As a member of the 'Splash Brothers' and the Golden State Warriors Championship-winning teams, Klay Thompson has been one of the NBA's most prestigious talents. Between 2014 and 2019, Thompson averaged over 20 points a season and over 55% effective field goal percentage. Therefore, an injury as serious as this will inevitably set the Warriors back and so NBA Rumors have begun to look at who they can use Thompson to trade for.
Due to the competition of the league, NBA Rumors were quick to suggest that the Warriors may need to make a trade involving Thompson if they are to challenge in the West this year.
The 30 year old is widely respected in the NBA and has given so much to the Warriors franchise. Although an All-Star in his own right, Thompson has been happy to let Steph Curry take a lot of the credit. He is one of the league's elite defenders and has a winner's mentality. Therefore, it would be difficult for the franchise to consider making a trade that included him, let alone put one together that teams would consider.
However, the Warriors do now have a tradeable asset, albeit one that is injured. NBA Rumors have looked at trades including Thompson and James Wiseman who the Warriors have just picked second in the draft. They can also offer teams future 1st round picks. If they have any hopes of competing in what will be a stacked Western Conference this year, the Warriors will have to replace Thompson's scoring ability.
This could see a move being made for James Harden, a name that has cropped up regularly in NBA Rumors as being unhappy in Houston. A serial scorer, Harden has averaged over 30 points in the last three seasons and would be the ideal candidate. Other options include Bradley Beal at the Washington Wizards, who has also been involved in NBA Rumors. Whether the Warriors can even fathom trading one of their future hall-of-famers remains to be seen but if they want to improve on last year's position, they may have to.