Why a Klay Thompson trade at Golden State Warriors will never be in the cards
While it may sound hyperbolic, a Klay Thompson trade is almost as unlikely as the sun falling out of the sky.
For many, his on-and-off return and shaky start to the 2022-23 season is proof enough that he is nowhere close to what he used to be and has just fallen off a cliff in terms of competency.
Moreover, it is, perhaps, his loyalty or his service to the Golden State Warriors throughout their dynasty years that will compel them to keep him around, regardless of his level of play.
Not only do these narratives severely undermine Klay Thompson's value, they also overlook how drastically different the Warriors are compared to what they used to be before Klay's injury.
To further our argument that a Klay Thompson trade will not take place, we elaborate on why rushing to conclusions on a very small sample might reflect a distorted picture and why Thompson is far from the reason the Dubs are a .500 through the first quarter of the 2022-23 season.
Early-season struggles aren't a new phenomenon and not grounds for a Klay Thompson trade
Through the first 22 games of the Golden State Warriors 2022-23 campaign, Klay Thompson has struggled to find rhythm and has only found some momentum in the last two weeks or so.
However, Thompson, for better or for worse, has "struggled" through the first fifteen or so games in several seasons.
Currently, Klay is shooting 39.2% from the 3-point range on a staggering 9.5 attempts per game. While most people would be more than ecstatic to shoot near-40 percent from deep, this is far below what we have come to expect from Thompson.
But that's beside the point. Through the first 15 games this season, Thompson was shooting just 33.1% from deep. Many chalked it up to his age, his injuries, his lack of playing time and him just not being who he used to be.
A closer look at his numbers through his first 10-20 games during the 2018-19 and 2016-17 regular season tells us that the criticism might be a bit undeserved, at least, as it concerns his offense.
Through the first 20 games of the 2018-19 season, Klay Thompson shot a measly 33.1% from deep. Through the next 40 games, Thompson shot a staggering 43.4% from deep.
Another remarkable stat is that Thompson's 3-point attempts per game through his first 20 games and the next 40 games that season were nearly identical, at 7.7 and 7.4 3-point attempts respectively. This implies that, even when he's in a slump, he shouldn't refrain from getting shots up.
Something similar happened during the 2016-17 season, where through the first 12 games, Thompson shot 32.6% from deep on 7.4 3-point attempts. Through the next 40 games, Thompson shot 43.3% from deep, at 7.8 (!) 3-point attempts per game. Here, being in a slump resulted in him taking more shots.
But it wasn't just shooting that eventually came around, a Klay Thompson trade would take away the Dubs' wins.
Klay Thompson's previous slumps vs. wins
Compared to both of the above-mentioned seasons, when Klay Thompson had a less than ideal start to his season, the only significant difference we find is in the Warriors' record.
In 2018, through the first 20 games (during his slump), the Dubs were 13-7 (with an eight-game winning streak). In the next 40 games (when he got out of it), they were 30-10.
Similarly, in 2016, through the first 12 games, the Warriors were 10-2, and in the next 40 games, the Dubs were 34-6. In both of these seasons, the Warriors held their own without Klay's shooting because the team, as a whole, was performing well.
Should Klay return to form, anything even remotely close to 34-6 or 30-10 would be a godsend for the defending champs.
It is easy to discount Thompson's efforts and overlook it as a viewer as he goes through this low point after returning from two injuries that usually end careers in the NBA. The Warriors, however, would be incredibly foolish to start toying around with the idea of a Klay Thompson trade.