Klay Unfollows Warriors On IG, Is He On His Way Out?
we start things with what else EV my partner on Warriors this week Golden State Warrior basketball dominating the calendar year round the latest being one Clay Thompson your initial thoughts well first of all it’s really glad to have you I’m really glad to have you back in the saddle Dan because I don’t know we get to do a little switch R over once a while Saturday got to keep things fresh got to keep people on their toes and I feel like that’s exactly what Klay Thompson’s doing he’s trying to keep people on their toes by unfollowing the Warriors by also appears removing pictures involving the Golden State Warriors for the last couple of seasons from his IG and I I also think it’s a perfect place to start Dan because you are someone that is able to operate outside of the social media sphere so I’m very curious what your thoughts are on this because I know how I feel I feel like it’s either something that people perceive as being I don’t know like a gen Z move or maybe it’s strategic because this is what just what athletes do nowadays but as somebody who I would like to think and I I believe kind of live social media free like what do you think of when you hear an athlete saying oh I’m just going to unfollow the team that I’ve been following the last 12 years well I think it’s what’s trending right now in step one to let the other team know to throw that first shot across the bow that you’re disgruntled that it’s Now official you’re disgruntled with the team but I’m going to turn things back on you because you live in this world and what I want you to do for the audience and people like myself is to detail the thought process says for somebody who is a millennial a gen Z somebody who lives in that social media world with an Instagram account and everything that that means in terms of what the message is blatantly what the subtle message is what is it that Klay Thompson is trying to reveal not only to the Golden State Warriors but to everybody else out there that’s listening well I I do think it is it is a strategic move and it’s probably one also that he’s discussed with his agent free agency’s coming up it’s a couple weeks away July 1st is that that oh it’s open season everybody gets to determine you know where they go what they want to do and it does feel like Klay Thompson hadn’t necessarily had the ball in his court right all we’ve discussed this offseason is how many years for Klay at what price tag does he fit is he still a shooter at this caliber is he declining where is he going to go what can he do who can he help and now it feels like with this move it kind of turns the the ball back towards him it kind of it giv him I think a little more leverage and it also I think affirms what a lot of people had been feeling about clay which he was disgruntled he wasn’t happy and so I think it’s twofold number one it’s strategic because you can use it as leverage you can use it as bargaining power and saying that I don’t you know I just want to let you guys know that I’m not necessarily fawning to be a Golden State Warrior I want to be one but I don’t have to be one and then secondarily I also think it’s kind of a Klay Thompson move like who else on the Golden State Warriors would scrub their social media than Klay Thompson like that to me does scream clay because we know he gets in his feelings a little bit from time to time he’s a very emotive person he’s very genuine he feels down to he feels like one of us which is I think a big reason why people love Klay Thompson but it also is very fitting that of the Elder Statesman on the team I mean Draymond didn’t scrub his social media I don’t know if Steph well I don’t know if Steph ever would but it feels like something that Klay Thompson would do well let me ask you this in terms of level of importance staying within that sphere of social media and specifically your Instagram account in level of 10 it’s it’s imminent that he wants out uh one being that you know this isn’t a big deal it’s just for you know it’s the middle of the summer and he’s just he’s being Klay Thompson and maybe had a few fatties and he’s sitting on his deck out in tibron and like let me just mess with people again for somebody who sort of lives much more closely in this world than do I yeah what is the level of importance how how important uh should say Warrior fans the Klay Thompson fans of the world this morning how what is the message that they should be reading into this is this is this Klay Thompson saying I want out is this Klay Thompson just having fun at our expense just just exactly gauge uh and take us through what it means to scrub your account in terms of uh this this actually coming from push comes to shove and that he wants to go out he he wants out the door what does this mean well I don’t think many people have used social media scrubbing or unfollowing as an employment tactic like as a business tactic but I think a lot of people can relate to it from a relationship perspective you know maybe there’s there’s somebody that you used to be with or that you know you’re trying to get the attention of and you can use social media just to let them know how you’re feeling it is a very genz move I don’t even know if it’s a millennial move because a lot of people out there wouldn’t necessarily do that but I think it it it Dan it’s something like all right so if if I’m uh you know kind of going through some ups and downs with a certain person and I want to I want to get their attention and I know that there’s somebody who pays attention to social media I think the NBA is the most social media driven League perhaps outside of the NFL that we have but one of the reasons why everybody’s glued to the offseason I think more than any other major American sport is because of moments like this it’s because there’s drama because there’s certain I don’t know just breadcrumbs that you can follow to a place of well is Klay Thompson going to be here is he not what I would say to Warriors fans is I don’t think that this social media scrubbing affects his contract situation one iota I think at the end of the day clay Thompson is going to decide if he wants to be a Golden State Warrior or not this is just a reminder to me that hey if if I want to leave I can and I don’t have a problem doing it but it doesn’t mean that he wants to again we saw de Debo Samuel Brandon iuk um people have scrubbed their social media before and remained with their team so does it affect the way that I look at Klay Thompson’s future in Golden State it doesn’t change the fact that I do believe it’s 50-50 call right now no matter what pre-social media post social media but it does feel now like Dan as opposed to before the ball is in his court a little bit more and I feel like that’s the message that he’s trying to send like I still have the power in this I still am what people I don’t know want me to be which is you know a four time champ a Hall of Fame I still am that guy and I just feel like it’s kind of a subtle reminder of it all right so you asked me how I perceive all this social media and somebody scrubbing their account for a guy that typically doesn’t live in that space I think it’s just it’s a really weeny move not on the part of just specifically Klay Thomson because I understand Clay is just and Hey listen it might have been one of his agents blowing into his ear but this is how this is how things are done in professional sports these days I don’t know that it necessarily means anything Kyler Murray scrubbed his account I think it’s just one of those where you’re just letting people know it’s sort of the first it’s almost as though it’s the first step in negotiations you mentioned Debo Samuel AJ Brown scrubbed his account he went back to Philadelphia sign a new deal it’s almost as though it’s the first Ploy it’s the first move in the chess game like okay let’s move our Pawn let’s get this thing going let’s let them know we’re disa dissatisfied more importantly let’s make this a little bit public and let let everybody else out there know the unwashed masses that I’m unhappy and or read between the lines that the Golden State Warriors are not offering me a contract or they’re not negotiating in good faith however it is that you want to perceive that but to me in 2024 I don’t like it it’s ridiculous uh it’s again it’s a weeny move in order to handling your business but I understand it’s it’s the way things are done these days to me it’s just the first step of what is going to be now the ongoing bartering and the back and forth between the two here’s the one thing that I think everybody would like to see uh hopefully is is avoided and is avoidable and there you don’t want this to get ugly you don’t want you don’t want clay scrubbing things and this to be a back and forth where klay’s like screw you and the Warriors are like you know what clay thank you so much and this becomes one of those I’m out of town uh and let me just go anywhere else because the Golden State Warriors did me wrong and I think sort of the initial knee-jerk reaction is that Klay Thompson’s unhappy and he wants out that’s not the way this thing should end okay even if he goes to another team which I think is there’s a strong strong possibility defin you want that to be as hamable as possible four titles he’s been with one team since 2011 when he when he joined the squad it’s it’s one of the more epic runs of all time in terms of the foundation you don’t want this thing to go down this road well and that’s why to to your point Dan I I don’t think Clay is feeling the love like I I I don’t think that he’s feeling the love that he believes that he deserves because he is a four-time champ because he is a future Hall of Fame and generally those players are taken care of but I’m kind of with the 408 here John from San Jose on the infinity mobile text line it is childish it’s an immature move that is also a shot across the bow yeah it’s a harmless shot across the bow but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t childish it doesn’t mean that it isn’t immature especially for somebody who’s 34 going on 35 years old and pulling down 43 mil a year I mean seriously yes you’re going to have to take a step back financially yes you’re probably going to have to take a step back as far as your role these are all things that Klay Thompson’s been wrestling with for the last two years since he returned from two horrific injuries that’s not going to change and so this tactic to me is in one sense harmless because I don’t think it affects his contract situation but I think it’s also something that he’s letting us know that he doesn’t necessarily need Golden State I think he wants to be needed or he he wants to to feel needed and he’s not feeling like it right now but isn’t this the first sign and the most blatant and obvious Omen that he does need the Golden State Warriors usually if you’re secure you don’t do things like this to me this is the biggest sign of insecurity trying to prove to people that I don’t need the Golden State Warriors where we all know at the end of the day that you don’t want to leave tibron you don’t want to leave Steph you don’t want to leave the people that you know in this area you sure as hell don’t want to go to Orlando and be in that part of the world right we’ve talked about that I don’t even think he wants to go to Philadelphia you get to a certain point in your life where as an NBA player where you’ve made your money and you got the bag a couple of times over it becomes a matter of quality of life just like I don’t think LeBron James is ever leaving La right he’s got everything in La especially when you talk about Hol let the Suns get bronny Dan don’t let the Suns get bronny by the way that draft is coming up and I I don’t know where I’ll be but I’ll make sure as hell to contact when bronny goes in that second round to somebody to the Golden State Warriors so I think that that Klay Thompson is showing that to me if you’re just to look a little further than just this this obvious again I agree with the text line that this is a childish move I clay should be above this I mean for the younger players that are looking to get that first contct like why I mean if you’re AJ Brown you’re Kyler Murray you’re still young and you still want to get that first deal he’s made his money he’s a little older it’s the Warriors You’ve Won titles with these guys you know everybody in the front office like this is go call up Kerr just tell somebody that you’re unhappy this I think clay should be above this this is just this is something that yeah you would see another player who’s maybe in his early 20s that’s looking for his first big contract that knows this is part of the negotiating Ploy I just like to think that maybe if this is Jordan pool or if this is a younger player with the Golden State Warriors that they do this but Klay Thompson Steph Draymond Looney H come on guys AR aren’t we above the fry a little bit I mean you would hope so but you know look Clay is this is a a quintessential Klay Thompson move I believe like I I I would not put scrubbing social media even before it happened above Klay Thompson because that’s kind of the person like he doesn’t speak publicly he doesn’t go out and create firestorms publicly he’s a passive aggressive dude yeah I mean he’s the guy that is going to take shots at you know a journalist who comes at him with a certain tone who you know he doesn’t really feel like his it is all I feel like it it’s seriously it depends on the day with Klay Thompson he might wake up today and regret completely scrubbing his social media but he woke up yesterday and felt like he was going to do it or maybe he was on his deck and TI like you’re talking about smoking a Jay thinking about life going huh that’ll be kind of funny yeah if I just if I just unfollow the golden State Warriors take down these photos maybe he also wanted to reorganize his feed I don’t know maybe he didn’t want to see enough B maybe he didn’t want to see Golden State Warriors you know Associated images or videos or reals on his timeline I maybe maybe he was trying to reorder his his social media engagement I don’t know to like Klay Thompson is try trying to guess what Clay is going to do or the reaction that he’s going to have to perceive slights to me is it’s just it it’s an activity that’s going to lead you nowhere or it’s going to lead you in circles and I I think clay right here it’s it just it it feels wrong like Klay thp come on man like come on I I’m not a fan is your ey directed at Klay Thompson or The Warriors or where you at a little bit of both okay A little bit of both I mean it it always takes two to tango I just you’re right clay should be above this but every every time it feels like he does something he he just reminds us that he yeah he’s still got a little immaturity about him like again this is an immature move people have used it before as a business tactic as a negotiating strategy that doesn’t make it not childish yeah so do I think it impacts the contract negotiations not necessarily but I also think he’s trying to let other teams know too that I’m not married to the Warriors again if he’s going to test free agency and I think he is this is a I don’t as harmless of a message as you can send that I’m open to all ear like I’m open to all contracts I’m open to all negotiations it’s not just me and Golden State I think there’s a tremendous sense of insecurity when it comes to Klay Thompson and you just see that born out through his play through remember he got into that he got into that little scuffle with Devin Booker and had to remind everybody I’ve won for how often does he say that Jaden McDaniels he got into it with the player from Minnesota early this year actually got tossed from that game and he always talks about you know I’m the best I’m one of the best and he has to remind people how many titles he’s won he’s the one guy in the Golden State Warriors that’s always holding up the four rings or the four fingers it’s like we know man and usually if you’re secure you don’t have to tell anybody that we know you’re one of the best Shooters but it just seems as though he’s having a hard time graduating into that space in life where you have to recognize no longer that guy I’m a little bit older and that I can suddenly see the finish line of my career and some some guys are very gracious when they do that and they know how to go out he’s just he still thinks he’s 27 years of age and there’s just a there’s a level of think of of high insecurity when it comes to Klay Thompson and this is just another part of that and I also think that that Klay Thompson uh he just gets down in the weeds and he almost is Kevin Durant es where he’s willing to if you disrespect him regardless of who you are he will you know he’ll go back and forth with you instead of just saying or at least having the the inner confidence of recognizing I’m one of the best guys I’m a future Hall of Famer one of the best best players to ever do this arguably the greatest shooter that’s that’s ever lived I got four titles you know this the majority 98% of these coconuts playing are never going to sniff two of these things and just be good with and have that internal confidence as you go about your daily life but but it’s that’s not who he is he’s he’s somebody that has to remind you he’s somebody that if you disrespect him he has to tell you how many titles he’s won and how good of a shooter he is there’s just an there’s always been sort of this overt sort of sense of insecurity when it comes to Klay Thompson and I think this is just another very obvious example of that when it comes to the Golden State Warriors maybe this is revealing that there has been an another initial sort of offering on the part of the Warriors that they they took down the 24 that that was reported a year ago 24 per and they’re like listen we’re now at about 18 to 20 I don’t know we’re reading into this and maybe this is what he wanted us to do but if you’re the Golden State Warriors um you hope that this doesn’t get ugly but Kay’s got to understand that we to point now with you being 34 you’re going to be 35 next year that we can’t obviously give you 43 and we can’t give you 30 and we can’t give you the 24 that reportedly you were offered during last off seon that you’re somewhere around 18 to 20 and if you can’t come to grips with that if you can’t get your arms around that then we do have to part ways the Golden State Warriors cannot Buckle whatsoever like their mindset has to be we have got to lower this payroll and Klay Thompson is no longer the same player we can detail that I’ve done this for months now he’s no longer the same two-way player he’s soon to be 35 and this is the offer regardless of what it is that you’re doing on social media I also think the reaction from fans is interesting too and if you have an interpretation of it if you have a thought on it we do want to hear from you 888 957 9570 because I also think one part of it too is perhaps Klay Thompson wanting to put a feel out of well how much how much love is there in the bay for me you know how much love out there is is there for me in say Orlando or Philadelphia or whatever team he’s been connected to as a potential free agent destination because I I also think the reaction is something he’s trying to find out he’s trying to see it like it felt like Klay Thompson was perhaps I mean well Curry’s in a different plane but might have been the most universally beloved Golden State Warrior during their dynastic run pre-injury because of what you’re talking about D it always felt like to me yes Klay Thompson had some pass passive aggression to him yes he was a guy that was I think um I don’t know a little out of the Limelight but he always felt secure like he always seemed very secure to me one lasting image I always have of Klay Thompson is during the I forget it was the 2015 or 16 finals but you know Curry’s talking to LeBron and they’re chip chatting and Clay Thompson is just the one walking through the middle and saying just play ball like just just play ball man like just you know stop talking just play ball this is not Klay Thompson just playing ball like this is Klay Thompson trying to do something more and it feels like he’s been searching for something things since he got those those injuries that that took away two years of his Prime and affected the rest of his career it feels like he’s F he’s he’s been fighting father time since he returned and I don’t understand why Dan because the first year he came back he won a championship and he still feels like he has to throw it in people’s faces like Devin Booker or one of the first things that he said at the podium after winning a championship he went after Memphis he went after I think jiren Jackson J I can’t wait to call that kid a bum like why is your mind there you’re on top of the world perfect example you’re on top of the world man so this does align again that’s why I think it’s a quintessential Klay Thompson move it does align with what we’ve seen the past two seasons and in one breath I can feel like I’m not surprised because when I heard about it yesterday me me and Kay were out at the the cafeteria having a pop and I see it come through my timeline like wow Klay Thompson just scrubbed his social media and Ken you were actually on the air when it happened like you guys discussed it yesterday I’m just curious what you thought like your initial reaction to when you see the notification from our Twitter account that goes out that says Klay Thompson has unfollowed the Golden State Warriors I mean the the first thought that runs through your mind is like okay what are you saying to us like what what is he saying right now and we started checking to see if he started unfollowing other or started following I should say other uh sports teams like the 76ers the Orlando Magic he’s not following those teams but yeah it was kind of like oh okay well now we we were talking about Brock pie for a second and it’s like nope we got to Pivot just to this forget Brock pie forget TR Trevor Lawrence forget the money we got to talk about Klay Thompson and it it it kind of just like was a a little bit of a a not a gut punch but just like a reality check like oh he wants to get serious now yeah he’s getting serious you know what be the ultimate Klay Thompson move is if he scrubbed the Golden State Warriors and just randomly has nothing to do with anything but then just opened up an only fans account like what’s going on here like this is making no sense here’s what I would say and this should not be coming from me the last guy not only in this room but on this in this planet that that’s about to say what it is that I’m about to say I’m the last guy who should be delivering this message but you know what part of that insecurity Klay Thompson my man you got all the money in the world you’re a good-looking dude go get married start a family it’s the same thing with Aaron Rogers who gets into the silly stuff it’s the same thing with Kevin Durant redirect that energy somewhere else so you can put life in its proper perspective so that everything isn’t weighed in on social media and oh the Warriors disrespecting me if you have if you have something else in your life that structure whether it’s a family and a wife you can see things sort of properly through a different lens and I think that lens part of what it is that we’re seeing with Klay Thompson I hate to go down that road and get into the man’s personal life but I I I can’t help but sort of connect the dots when you see Aaron Rogers also a single guy with all the money in the world do similar type things Kevin Durant is also a single guy with all the money in the world that also gets into sort of this this back and forth and sort of an an immature childish behavior I I don’t know I think that there’s something there um again I’m the last guy that should be providing that sort of advice to anyone but I I just this speaks more about the issues with the Golden State Warriors a contract free agency it has more to do with I think Klay Thompson a level of insecurity and where he’s at in life that he has to do something like this uh is sort of my bigger takeaway in all of this uh well first of all shout out to Joe spon who just texted I believe from the 831 my wife scrubbed me off her social media when I forgot her birthday I mean that is that is a shot and shout out to the great Jade bedoni wow dude that’s pretty funny actually so I I mean it could be clay having fun where I want to go next in the next part of this I I do think it takes us into a little bit the relationship between the Warriors and Klay Thompson because I believe that it’s been slowly eroding since he feels like he got low balled last off season with a 2-year $48 million contract extension that’s clearly not what he wants that clearly isn’t what he’s wanted all year and I feel like this is kind of a little bit of a peak behind the curtain as to what the real root of the problem is when it comes to CL The Warrior
On Saturday’s with Giddings and Devone, hosts Dan Devone and Evan Giddings get into Klay Thompson’s actions of scrubbing the Warriors from his social media and whether or not this could be the end of his time with the Golden State Warriors.
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