(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The Golden State Warriors left the door wide open for Klay Thompson to leave.
Needless to say, that was a difficult decision to make from an emotional standpoint.
However, unlike most people, Shannon Sharpe didn’t think the Warriors wronged him whatsoever.
Talking on ESPN’s First Take, the Pro Football Hall of Famer argued that the Warriors paid all their guys — Klay included — when they played well.
.@ShannonSharpe doesn’t think Klay Thompson’s been wronged by the Warriors.
“I already paid you for what you meant. Remember I gave you that four year, $140 million and two of those years you missed?” pic.twitter.com/2H7uTEDZOU
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 1, 2024
He remembered that the Warriors actually gave him a four-year contract as soon as he tore his ACL, and he missed two of those seasons, so it’s not like they owed him anything.
That’s true to a degree.
For starters, Klay always talked about potentially taking less money and even a lesser role in order to stay with the team for good.
He was born with money and he made it loud and clear that those millions weren’t what got him out of bed every single day.
It was always about respect.
Thompson and his camp felt mistreated and undervalued by the way the Mike Dunleavy Jr. administration handled his contract talks.
That’s where the Warriors failed.
While they did give him a lucrative deal after he tore his ACL, he gave them four NBA championships and helped them exponentially grow their franchise’s value, so yeah, they might still owe him money.
The post Shannon Sharpe Defends Warriors Amid Criticism About Klay Thompson appeared first on The Cold Wire.