Anthony Slater – No Desire To Get A Deal Done With Klay Thompson
our main man 957 game Insider does a great job for the athletic Anthony Slater hopefully he’s getting a little RNR as the season is over and I knew he’s done covering OKC Anthony good morning brother and we’re going to talk a little Warriors here and some of the Rumblings coming out from the plus minus podcast with utk and Marcus Thompson but man we lost the logo this morning man 86 years old Jerry West any conversations you had with them what comes in mind when I say the say the name Jerry West an alltime champion and alltime Legend but what it’s not going to be easy to replace him and his leadership in this league a week after Bill Walton too yep yep which is crazy yeah um you know my you know years covering the warriors were like his final years with the Warriors um you know got to know him a little bit um you know it was interesting being on the other side and you know you kind of mention you’re leading but like you know we don’t know how much his phone call to Kevin Durant sealed Kevin Durant coming to the Warriors but it certainly meant a lot to ktie at the time he may have come anyways I grew remember Andre guala talking about when you know when he came to the Warriors which is viewed as kind of a pivotal move like the influence of Jerry West like joining the organization like legitimized them in a lot of ways he had his fingerprints on some of the biggest deals in the Warriors Dynasty and you know we could sit here and talk about like how important he was to all that but if you like you know if if his NBA book is you know or if this is if the Warriors are just a chapter in his NBA book it’s like one of his like least important chapters right I mean yep think about player exact with the Lakers all the Lakers years and everything you know coaching to Memphis all that um it’s crazy I mean and then obviously you know I think everybody has said it but the fact that he is and was the the NBA logo kind of epitomizes what he made as the league which is like everything in a lot of ways yeah that’s really well said and um there’s no easy way to transition um for you know one of the The Luminaries of basketball um to to current modern basketball but we’re going to have to try to do it you know Anthony you were on a podcast um with TK and and Marcus Thompson and and you had said this and I I want you to listen to the sound for the audience that maybe hasn’t heard it and then I I have a question for you on the back end so this is what you had said uh on on the TK podcast it’s fair if Clay’s like he was pissed he was pissed at them at the end of there’s no question he was pissed at them at the end of the season and and and by the way not very happy with upper Management’s dealing with his extension talk thing or non dealing I should say whole thing and I think he takes he took offense when Draymond not at Draymond but that Draymond said hey look they signed him to Fore $180 million deal when he would tour his ACL and you know Klay didn’t love that and he like hey what they do what were they going to doag that was that was probably his most like he had a very interesting exit interview for several reasons but that was probably the answer that was most like revealing he had that so I guess my question to you is um from what you know and you can gather how far back does Clay’s frustration would Draymond stem um I mean as Tim even said in that podcast and by the way I think that was the first time I’ve like been uh led into a question by listening to myself that was a little you like that it’s like exception do you like how you sound do you sound sexy at you know I don’t know I don’t know we don’t need to get uh I mean it’s more the idea that and you know he owes the Warriors clay owes the Warriors because they gave him the contract they did at the time and and the fact that and we’ve you know this this has been a storyline for years that that clay because he missed two seasons and got paid Max money like you know owes something to the Warriors and I mean and you heard it in his ex interview answer uh if if people can remember it but it’s like think about you know it’s kind of like a yeah think about all I did for the organization all up until the moment that I tore my ACL in game six to the finals and I think there he was kind of expressing frustration that it’s even a topic that like you know be they uh you know he owes them something because of what they did you know way down the line and and yes Draymond brought that up and and and Draymond has a tendency to to be very uh talkative you know and still is I know you guys talked yesterday about you know what he said recently on on the pool thing I don’t think it’s like some deeply directed at Draymond for say and then I think it’s more frustration with the idea of you know that storyl line and like like he owes something to the war this summer because of what happened in 2019 yeah yeah and that it’s F foolish to have that narrative regarding the contract extension because everyone was going to give him that contract extension in the league but uh what about his frustration clays with upper management regarding the contract extension is it about how it went down is it the amount of years the money what specifically is he frustrated with I just don’t think there was that much of of a uh thirst or a um desire to get something done I mean everybody knows kind of the two for 48 that was out there and some people would think that that was fair enough for him to sign at the time clearly he didn’t uh from from a years in in and financial standpoint believe that was worth signing we’re talking preseason at this point but um it’s just I mean all the way up until now it’s not necessarily that Clay Thompson has been priority Number One locking down his future is not necessarily Priority One For The Warriors and you can um from a cold-hearted business perspective I think you can understand that from the Warriors side but you know Klay Thompson is Klay Thompson and you know he has pride in what he’s built what he’s built with the Warriors who he still is in the league what his statistical resume still says he is and I think there’s a fair like you know you want to be prioritized and I don’t think necessarily um you know the Warriors management all the way up into the top has from day one of this like you know they did with other people over the last couple years said you know we have to do whatever it takes to to make sure you’re here long term yeah I I’ve heard Rumblings that maybe he’s bothered because of the length because you see Wiggins get a four-year deal you see germond get a four-year deal threee deals with player options and obviously they those players May opt in because of the money on the back end of these deals and he gets his two years he’s saying well what about me don’t you want me to retire here but moving on from clay just in terms of just money and play you’ve been around a lot of NBA locker rooms over the last AK and Anthony and from what I’ve been told by former players current players you just don’t bring up somebody’s money or their contract and that where the Draymond Green says hey man he got paid he got paid that’s what I thought about right away Anthony is where players just don’t speak up on other people’s money and you mentioned how draymond’s been talkative so what’s your take on him rehashing the Jordan pool situation with cavon Looney where it’s well known that cavon Looney was looked up to by Jordan P considering that he’s from Milwaukee and pools from Milwaukee and they were brothers did didn’t you feel find it kind of strange that he brought back up that situation in that season I mean it’s just kind of part of the package right that has been agreed too long ago but um you know I mean in that one to me that wasn’t necessarily like oh you know he’s taking you know subliminal shots at Jordan P which I think there has been times in the past you’re wondering he was just kind of revealing like no you know how bad the season was it was even worse than you thought it was I was you know again I’m surprised he said all that but yeah I mean we all kind of knew that at the time uh I mean you guys even just following the season on a daily basis knew it was off they even said how off it was publicly but all it does is is generates another new cycle of it like we shouldn’t be talking about two years ago we can talk about how bad last year was that’s that’s more important because of like they need to fix this summer but you know I don’t know he generates news Cycles they probably got um more eyeballs more ears to to his podcast and everything so I don’t know it’s part it’s it is it’s just part of the pack it’s part of the Draymond Green Experience I get that go ahead no like me and other Warrior fans not all of them like everyone has various opinions like when you admit that out loud I question like why is the organization riding with you till the wheels fall off like it good very good at basketball I mean is he he missed 22 games this year and you were the 10 but to Slater’s point he was good on the I say hey Slater I say that on the Airways and people start throwing Tomatoes at me cuz my biggest problem with the whole Draymond Green Experience is he is playing good basketball you see the defensive prowess you see the IQ now do I want to shoot the open shots more absolutely but there is still value of the type of player that he is and it’s tough to see that the Casual especially the fans it’s tough for them to see that because of the suspensions the ejections and all the talk on the podcast but but all that is is him not being on the floor and then how that affects him right you know like last season you know derailed early in the year because he wasn’t out there and then he comes back and um suddenly their small ball lineup is exploding his defensive ratings going crazy they’re winning games kaminga and Wiggins can play together um you know I don’t know I don’t have the records in front of me but when he was on the court and particularly when he was like in Rhythm on the court like they were a four five seed type you know record um and you know him and Trey Jackson Davis late in the season formed a really good you know kind of defensive pairing in the back court and uh if if you’re of the belief that the entire experience is too much and there’s you know potentially like a move on scenario you probably said that you know after the punch you probably said that in the offseason when they signed him four years for 100 million the Warriors clearly do not wouldn’t agree with you considering the fact that they gave him a fore $100 million extension uh and they’re of the belief and they said it last year prior to free agency that they are no longer in the contending conversation if he is not on the roster now they weren’t necessarily in the contending conversation last year um we’ll see if they are next year I think it matters what happens over the next month obviously but they just still want to win at the highest level and they still believe they need him to do that all right so so I there’s a lot of different things happening here let’s let’s ratatatat them as as best we can for people that are out there Chris Paul the $30 million option are they going to try to work out some sort of an arrangement where they can extend the date or will we find out by the end of June one way or the other either they’re going to pick up that option or just allow it to go away what do you think happens there that’s like kind of in the next few weeks they’re trying to figure out the options there what can and can’t be done with it uh what teams would be interested in it what you know trades could possibly happen Klay Thompson’s future I think it’s a very big hint to to either what kind of money clay might be willing to come back for or if Clay is if they get the feeling clay might just straight walk out the door and take that $43 million expiring down to zero essentially then think you have a lot more of a thirst to either use all of Chris Paul’s 30 million or at least partially of uh you part of it to go trade for a player maybe attach a pick to it or just you know basically guarantee it for Chris Paul because you need that salary slot at some point to trade you know if it’s in June or if it’s in you know February um but yeah I think they’re both tied to each other into to one part of your question which is the first part could it get extended um from what I’ve heard like Chris Paul’s been very open and like under understanding within he he knows what contracts he signed he he’s as smart as it comes business-wise in the league and if it makes sense for both sides to suddenly make the uh guaranteed deadline you know July 5th instead of June 28th because it might get Chris Paul a whole lot of guaranteed money I do think Chris Paul would be interested in that because I think the last thing Chris Paul wants is for that $30 million to become a taxpayer midlevel minimum whatever he would get if it gets released uh you know if he says if if you talk Chris Paul hey hold on 10 days and you’re probably going to get $30 million guaranteed like that’s appealing to a Chris Paul so so it’s possible he would work with him in that sense Anthony what’s Your Gut tell you about clay he’s back or is he gone when we when we reconvene in the first week of July second week of July will Klay Thompson be a member of the go to State Warriors your thoughts yes or no um yeah see you know you’re trying to pin me down with a yes or no I I have to I have to my tells me he’s not going to be back but maybe you know you know so I hav a lot of conversations over the last couple months and this goes back to you know how sour the ending was I think there was a definitely a feeling like if let’s say he made had to make the decision five days after the season ended um I I would have guess no I think a lot of people in that orbit were were were were thinking it was kind of going that way but there’s definitely a feeling like the time the conversations that need to happen the conversations by the way that will happen over the next few weeks which is him figuring out his mark him figuring out you know the situations he would be going into not only from a money perspective from a year perspective but also from a role perspective City perspective lifestyle perspective uh so absorbing what his options are finally hearing whatever the final offer from the Warriors will be whatever like the best that they’re willing to do and then having the conversations he’s going to need to have with with staff with Draymond with Steve cerr with you know whoever within the Warriors organization and around the Bay Area he needed to have and then deciding like does he want to leave his uh very comfortable home NBA home and you know like you know G geographical home I still think it’s going to be very tough for him to do and I the the one thing people do say about Joe lob is like at the end of the day he usually does you know up the money to the point that it will keep you know the franchise Legends around he would have kept Katie around if Durant was willing to he had final offers the Bob Meers if Myers is willing to say he just paid Steve Kerr that was kind of you know thornier behind the scenes negotiations but he ended up paying Steve Kerr big money Draymond Green he gave four for 100 which a lot of people say he might you know maybe shouldn’t have so I still like if you if you had to hit me down on a yes or no I still say yes but it’s like a lot needs to be happen and a lot more conversations and negotiations need to happen over the next three weeks that could decide if it’s you know if it is a yes or no what would that role be with the Warriors I think it’s at least a willingness that coming off the bench Steve cry even said it I was surprised he was still public about it in his uh exit interview that but you know that he wants to play clay less and the fact that he said they need more shooting so he can play clay less right because you know one of the appeals of clay is you put him on the floor you have better spacing this team really lack spacing when he’s on on the floor um so I you know probably in an Ideal World especially if we’re talking about like a three-year clay deal uh is it you know it transitions into him in the six-man role that he was pretty good in six seventh eight man type role where it is some nights 22 minutes it’s some nights 32 it’s some nights take the night off you know what did he play last year 77 games yeah play the most games on a team does he close every night what depends on the game I mean like you know there was times last year he didn’t and and that really frustrated him what was you know remember the night that you know Draymond H nkic in Phoenix yep um Clay did not close that night that was the first time he didn’t close and like he was really frustrated by it got completely overlooked because you know tumbling around them but like you know that was the first night he did everybody remembers the Brooklyn night when remember he did GE Santos over him um and then the postgame interview uh but like he’s gone through that now I think one thing the Warriors step Cur you know feels pretty good about it is there was at least somewhat of a transition this year this past season like he did accept a bench roll for a large chunk of the Season he did you know feel not closing and that’s you know that that that would be what he would be coming back to uh with the Warriors and by the way that’s probably what he would be going to elsewhere right you know let’s say in Orlando or Philadelphia like you’re not guaranteed 35 minutes that that’s what I’m saying Anthony I I don’t think he’s guaranteed to finish and I I think he understands that at this I think there’s a perception about Klay Thompson is that he’s selfish and he’s all about him now I did hear about the Phoenix night and it did get overshadowed by Draymond Green because I heard that night he was not happy at all like it was bad it was worse than the Brooklyn situation at barklay Center uh real quick before we let you go who’s going to be assistant coach I know the Warriors interview Darin ham is there anything on Frank vogle or they gonna feel especially if Kitty aasy gets the job I know he hasn’t got one yet any any uh any Rumblings on that Anthony they’ve interviewed several like you say a few former head coaches some high higher profile names but also um Kenny ainson is going to Cleveland late this week um you know I think James bro’s there now but Kenny’s going probably like you know Thursday Friday range to do like the really big you know in-person you know meet the organization type thing and if he gets that Cavaliers job I I think you know there’s a lot that Steve C needs to settle with or you know I guess redo or figure out with his assistant coaching staff if Kenny ainson does not get that job and it still seems you know it’s very much up in the air him bgo there’s some other names out there uh then it’s probably just one hire and you know they need to figure out exactly you know who they want to fit into that staff but you know something will happen but I I think it’s just going to have to wait until after Atkinson does it doesn’t get the Cleveland job and we probably won’t know that until the weekend or next weekend Draymond Green and you appeal with Draymond Green real quick before we let you go I know I keep saying this and I’m pushing this back and everybody’s going to get mad at me here but with Draymond Green on this basketball team and we see all the podcast and we saw the situation on the Inside the NBA where the T wolves refused to go up to the set because Draymond was you know very critical at Rudy Gober company is are the Warriors still a pill killing around the league knowing that Draymond Green is here do people still want I know they want to play with Steph but do they still want to play with Draymond Green what are some of the things you heard about that Anthony yeah I mean I’m sure there’s a few players out though you know if you’re like using nkit with a free agent you’re like hey you know Yousef want to come and play like maybe he might have some reservations there’s there’s a few guys out there I’m sure like you know hey maybe that wouldn’t matter in a Kevin Durant chase you know he suddenly became available for Phoenix so you know again there’s personal situations where maybe that would impact it but generally no 96% of the league doesn’t necessarily care Chris Paul and Grandma green hated each other they Tred for Chris Paul and then they were on podcast together talking about how they were like top five favorite teammates they’ve ever had um and Dray you know he’s he’s good I mean like his teammates like I actually thought last season from a behind the scenes like leadership film room you know building up the youngsters perspective uh once got back from the suspension building up kaminga I actually kind of thought he had a decent leadership season um in a lot of ways now look we can take two steps back look at the season as a whole what happened with all the suspensions that’s not uh you know then you would probably take that from an A to a to a c minus D but like there’s still an appeal to who he is as a personality and what he can do in a locker room how he can teach defense how he can hold young guys accountable um but you know it can go Haywire at times but I don’t necessarily affect what you’re talking I don’t think they’re not able to make a trade or not able to sign x free agent because of him unless you’re talking about a specific player or person who I know Anthony how’s the kid how’s everything he’s good he’s good um you know 14 months going a little crazy at this point but uh you know we’re gonna hit a baseball game later this week so uh I’m excited Giants Angels uh you don’t want to know where I’m going because I feel like it’s you know you guys know where I live at this point so uh Triple A River Cats River Cats exactly G be the the Sacramento A’s next year MLB team coming this way T will be coming up there how may have to come up there too for that judge going second What did the what did Fisher say we can’t wait to watch Aaron judge out of the triple all right Anthony take care man thanks for the time as always all right fell later here on the
Our favorite Warriors insider joins The Roast to offer his thoughts on Jerry West, plus why Klay Thompson is frustrated with where he is at on the Warriors priority list.
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