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"I can handle it" - Klay Thompson trades friendly fire with Draymond Green over ex-teammate's trash talk 

Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson is ready to face his former team, the Golden State Warriors. After 11 seasons with the Warriors, Thompson was ready to move on this past summer and had a sign-and-trade deal that sent him to the Mavs. Ahead of their matchup in the regular season, his former teammate is up for the challenge.

Thompson's return to Golden State as a Maverick will be on Nov. 12. That will also be an NBA Cup game between the two teams. It will be his first game in the Chase Center as an opponent and former teammate Draymond Green is ready to treat him like one.

In an interview with ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Green shared his 'Mamba Mentality' ahead of his first game against his former teammate. He claims that he'll run through his chest, similar to what the late Kobe Bryant did to Pau Gasol during his 2008 Olympic game against Pau Gasol.

"I'm going to run through his chest," Green said about playing against Thompson for the first time. "Because I used to run through my older brother's chest when we played."

The former half of the "Splash Brothers" replied to Green's comments, saying he is ready for what's to come during an interview with Rachel Nichols.

"If so, I'll take two free throws," Thompson said on Green's comments. "I'm a pretty tough guy. I think I can handle it."

He shared his feelings at returning to his former stomping ground:

"It's probably gonna be weird at first, but once the ball tips up and I start running around, it's gonna be basketball again and luckily, I've had great success shooting in that arena. Hopefully that translates. It feels good to be going back with some reinforcements. Probably a lot of emotions at first, but once the competitive juice starts flowing, I'll be--just trying everything to win."

Their first game against each other will be highly anticipated since they won four titles together and created a dynasty with the Warriors.

Also read: Mavs’ Klay Thompson on season goals: "I don’t think about numbers or accolades" (Exclusive)


When was Klay Thompson's final game with the Warriors?

No one knew that it was Klay Thompson's final season with the organization that drafted him last season. The contract negotiations between the two parties were going nowhere and Thompson's future was uncertain. Last season, he played his final game in a Warriors uniform on April 14.

That was the final game of the season for the Warriors as they didn't qualify for the postseason. Thompson finished with 25 points, three rebounds and three assists. He helped the team get the win and shot 50% from beyond the arc, making six of his 12 attempts.

Also read: Klay Thompson fires back at naysayers questioning his defensive prowess: "I’m excited to prove people wrong"

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