[Slater] There’s been an expectation from those around Klay that he will actively attempt to keep his expiring contract from becoming a distraction “Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else…Ive just been so lucky to be a part of this franchise. So hard to envision myself in another uniform”

[Source Article via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater – “Klay Thompson wants to stay with Warriors but feels ‘blessed’ regardless of future”](https://theathletic.com/4946203/2023/10/11/klay-thompson-warriors-contract-future/)

*This is mostly just the Klay direct quotes from the interview. Only included a few of Slater’s own words when necessary*

 

### Klay on if his contract year will cause any ‘drama’: “It’s not going to be a thing”:

>There’s been an **expectation from those around Klay Thompson that he will actively attempt to keep his expiring contract, unknown future and theoretical free agency from becoming a distraction this season.** But quieting it doesn’t mean ignoring or avoiding it. Thompson’s approach is pretty straightforward. Ask him. He’ll let you know where it stands. “I’ll talk about it,” Thompson said.

> “**It’s not going to be a thing**. The fact that I’m going into my 13th season — that alone — it gives me such peace of mind. Granted, I’ve made money, I’ve been able to take care of my family, myself, the people I love. But when I started playing this game, I never once thought I’m playing the game because I’m going to be rich and famous. Never did.

> “I played this game because my dad played. I idolized him. My favorite athletes were hoopers. Kobe (Bryant). Clyde Drexler and Rasheed Wallace, guys I was able to watch growing up. Reggie Miller. I just wanted to do something I loved for a living. It happened to be basketball. The fact I’m doing it for a 13th straight season is amazing. I don’t need to go into this year and…**I know if I just do my job and I’m in shape and I compete at my highest level, I’m going to make money in this league for a long time. So I don’t worry about it.** I’m blessed beyond measure. Obviously you want to make the most in the window you have as an athlete. But I’m not going to let that get in the way of winning a championship. When you win, everything else will be taken care of.”

 

### Klay wants to be a Warriors-lifer:

> Two things are clear. One, the Warriors are committed to Thompson. Part of the Poole trade was about freeing up long-term flexibility to keep Thompson around. That remains the intention. Two, Thompson’s eyes are not wandering. He is committed to the Warriors.

>“Yes,” Thompson said. “**Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. To play for one franchise, man? That’s so rare. In any sport.** Football. Baseball. Basketball. Australian Rules Football. To play for one club is insane. It’s some real legendary stuff. Even what Udonis Haslem did. He’s revered in Miami. Locally. That’s what I cherish. **Going around the country, going around the world and people from Northern California or Warriors fans in general are just so prideful about the Warriors. And I was here before banners were hung up. So in a way, it’s our baby. You want to ride it out. I’ve just been so lucky to be a part of this franchise. It’d be so hard to envision myself in another uniform.**”

 

### Klay on the 2022-23 regular season + regrets last playoffs & his reason on his struggles vs Lakers:

> “I think (my struggles were) a little overrated. The microscope on our team now is insane. You gotta accept that. **I didn’t shoot the ball well at times. I’m human. But guess what? I still led the league in made 3s and shot 41 percent. That’s insane. Over 300 makes. I’m not going to sell myself short. I know how incredible that is. To do that after an ACL and an Achilles**, that’s hard work.”

 

*On Lakers series*

> “**Stings bad**. Bad. Because you want to win against a team that is a division rival, you want to beat your hometown, you want to beat your friends who are fans of the team, you want to beat LeBron obviously. We have such a deep history with him. Kudos to him. He’s still out here playing at the highest level he possibly can. So, yeah, it stings. Any time you come up short of your goal, and we have many times, it’s just motivation. It’s fuel. You think about it the whole summer. How could you have prepared better?”

> Thompson said **he went back and watched the film of all his misses** from the Lakers series. “**I learned that I was fried. I was tired. All my shots in that Game 6 were short. They were all on line. They were just short.** I don’t know if that’s mental fatigue or physical fatigue. But it happens. Then on top of that, **I learned as I get older, I’ll have to rely on my teammates and my smarts to be as efficient** scoring the ball as I possibly can be.”

 

### Klay on the last (2022) Offseason + Why no Pick-up:

> “Not at all. I worked so hard that summer. I just didn’t play pickup. I worked really hard. I did weights. I did conditioning. I did individuals. **I just didn’t play pickup, I think for good reason. Because the last time I played, it was so traumatic.** I don’t regret it at all just because of the emotional toll those last two and a half years took. **That’s what people don’t understand. When you’re building your body up and you can’t even do a calf raise. When you have to do the same tedious exercises for months and months, it takes such a mental toll on you.** That’s what I meant when I said I needed a break from pickup. The two and a half months leading up to it were so strenuous. It was the hardest time of my life. **Now that I’m healthy and that’s far behind me, it’s so much easier. It’s so much fun coming to the gym** and being able to get your prep in, get your work in and to play basketball, sharpen your skills every day. That’s so much easier than the rehab side of the sport. That was the most testing time of my career. I have no regrets on how everything came out.”

 

### Klay on his work this (2023) Offseason:

>“**I was hungry to play again. I was hungry to work on my skills. I got over the mental hurdles of that rehab stuff**. I really kind of developed a routine where I go to the gym, I warm up for 30-45 minutes, then I get to play. I cherish that. That’s way more fun than doing individuals all the time. I cherish the fact that I get to play with different players from all around the world that play on different continents. … I played a ton of pickup. I think being eliminated — when you play to June, it’s such a marathon compared to being eliminated. I hate losing, obviously. But when you lose in the West semis, you have an extra month longer.”

> Thompson competed in Chris Brickley’s pickup run in New York City. He spent time at Jordan Lawley’s runs in Irvine. He came together for the Warriors’ involuntary workouts and scrimmaged with Chris Paul and his other new teammates a ton. “**Different players from all demographics. I played with some top high school players, some collegiate players, guys that played in Europe. I got to play with my boy (Kevin) Love,** which was so much fun. Hadn’t played together in 20 years.”

 

### Klay on Playing the PF/Guarding the 4 + This Season:

>He **still considers himself a shooting guard, but he has lost a step laterally** after the injuries and is now more effective using his strength and competitiveness against bigger opponents rather than chasing quicker guards. **He isn’t concerned, despite internet skepticism**.

> “**You don’t hang banners without being able to guard freaking anybody. Not even guard. Just accepting the challenge.** I’m not going to shy away from anything that’s presented in front of me. **Power forward? Small forward? It’s basketball. I’ll guard whoever I’m told to guard** and give it my all. **I don’t have time for Twitter banter and people doubting if I can do a job. Oh, sorry, X banter.** The challenge is **we have to lean on each other to rebound**. We’re small. Teams are going to attack the glass on both sides. It’s on me to grab five boards a night. Then offensively, we just play. **We’re all very smart, we all know how to win. We just have to be unselfish and take great looks** when we can.”

 

> “I’ll be better in the upcoming postseason when that time comes,” Thompson said. “But no regrets (about last season). I played my absolute hardest, and at times, it was the most elite I’d ever been. Especially that stretch after the new year. I was on fire. Hopefully I can have a similar start to the season. **I’m in such a great spot right now. I’m in good shape. Come opening night, I’ll be in the best shape possible**.”

by NokCha_