The lower Clay's value, the more likely he is to die as a warrior, and the decision is more in his own hands

原文编译自：The Athletic

作者:Tim Kawakami

原标题：What’s Klay Thompson’s future after his 0-for-10 clunker?

There is no goodbye, and if anyone is still watching or listening, there is nothing to say. The Golden State Warriors' season ended disappointingly Tuesday night when Klay Thompson paused for a few seconds on his way out of the Golden One Center, silently glancing at the crowd with a somber look on his face.

He didn't frown, he didn't bow his head, he just looked around, quietly admired the scene, nodded once or twice, and then walked into the locker room. Then, Clay didn't speak to reporters, and I didn't see anyone asking him to come on stage. The Warriors plan to have Klay and the rest of the squad speak to the media at Wednesday's end-of-season press conference.

So it doesn't feel like a goodbye to Klay Thompson, at least not to the Warriors. It seems more like an evening of reflection, acceptance, and possibly adjustment. He's not the same player he used to be anymore. That was truly demonstrated in the Warriors' 94-118 loss to the Sacramento Kings in the playoffs, when Klay missed all 10 shots, didn't score a point, and like the rest of the team, was overwhelmed by the younger, faster Kings.

But he's still an integral part of the Warriors and a top player who can't imagine being a former Warriors player. After the game, when Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were asked about Klay's future, they also saw it clearly. Because it's only a few weeks before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

At the press conference, I asked Kerr: Do you feel sad to think that Klay might end his Warrior career just like that?

Kerr told me: "No, no, I didn't think that way, and it's sad to see him struggling on the field. But that doesn't stop him from still being a Warriors player. In the second half of the year, he performed very, very well. Clay still had a lot of good times in his career. I truly believe that.

"I really believe he's going to come back, and I think he's destined to die with the Warriors. "

Sometimes, Kerr says, the biggest mistake happens at the end of the season and you just have to accept it. This happens to everyone.

"I shot 2-of-13 from the Final Four in 1988 when he was playing for Arizona State University, and I still remember that game," Kerr said. Today, 36 years later, I still can't separate myself from that race. As a shooter, it's part of the game, especially as someone who doesn't get to the free throw line very often, like Klay doesn't often and some nights they just can't shoot, and when that happens in a big game, it's incredibly painful. But that's all part of it. There was a lot of pain in this line, and we felt it tonight.

"Clay is really feeling bad right now and I feel sorry for him. But Klay is a Warrior, and I think he's going to be a Warrior for the rest of his life. I think he'll come back. "

Of course, the Warriors' decision is not in Kerr. It's up to Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr., who certainly won't intend to carry this season's $400 million salary commitment over next season. It's no longer a championship team, and it's nowhere near that level. There must be layoffs, and Lacob has already signaled that.

Chris Paul will almost certainly not return. Klay's fate has yet to be decided — other teams are chasing him, and the Warriors are demanding a pay cut to return.

This means, as Draymond points out, that could be mostly Clay's decision. The Warriors will definitely give Klay a decent contract, maybe two or three years, with an annual salary of about $20 million. Will other teams offer higher prices? Will Klay just want a change of scenery? Or will he accept a contract that is good for the Warriors and just want to stay with Curry, Draymond and Kerr and play a few more games?

Klay has been outstanding in the second half of the season enough to attract the interest of any team that needs the best level scorer of all time. But combined with his 3-of-19 shooting in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers last season, it's already the second straight game he's been completely dumb in the playout game, and after his two major leg injuries, he's unlikely to be an above-average defender again. As a result, the idea that Klay could lead a team through the playoffs is gone.

The Warriors will almost certainly not be able to count on Klay anymore as they have been recently. They may need to make him a thorough bench player. Maybe play 20 minutes a game, as a spot shooter, if he shoots well, he will play more. Clay has struggled to come to terms with that this season, then made adjustments, started playing really well, and then found himself back in the starting lineup. But the roster was utterly crushed by the Kings and would almost certainly be crushed by any young, fast team at the top of the Western Conference standings.

Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Brandon Podzemski — the three youngest main rotation players — were the only players in the Warriors who appeared to be able to play at the pace of the Kings on Tuesday. But they are not enough. In short, the Warriors roster must be more athletic.

"Yes, we need to," Cole said. Tonight you can see that we were suppressed, completely suppressed, all the offensive rebounds, all the ball possession. They beat us on all these fronts. So we have to keep trying to add athletic players who can help us win games, as we saw tonight, we seem to be holding back. "

The Warriors may not be able to consider Klay as a core rotation player next season. But he's still a cornerstone of a team...... He feels hot four or five times a month. What kind of deal is the right one? We'll see. Maybe it's easy for both parties to reach. But maybe not.

But Tuesday night's signal was that Klay had a chance to return to the Warriors if he understood the new reality. I think he got it.

Yes, Clay is valuable. There is also value as being a part of the Warriors. Both are not as valuable as they used to be. Will all of this lead to Klay and the Warriors staying together?

"He has to make the decision that's best for him, the team needs to make a decision," Draymond said. They will make the decision that is best for the team. ...... I don't think Klay's departure is the best decision for the team or the collective. ...

"All [the team] has shown us is respect, loyalty, love and trust. So I have no reason to think, 'Man, they're not going to be nice to Clay'. They're worthy of me, they're worthy of Stephen, they're worthy of all of us. Clay (in the 2019 Finals) suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. They paid him $160 million. So there's no reason to think that our management won't take care of us the way we take care of this team. "

Curry, Draymond and Kerr all signed for several more years. None of them will leave. That's all that leaves Clay. Oddly enough, the less valuable he is to others, the more likely he is to end his career with the Warriors.

"Everybody is going to talk about this game and I know he wants to play better," Curry said. But in 82 games, we went through so much, and the truth was that he was able to turn his season around with a new role and adapt to a long bench before going back to the starting lineup and really enjoying playing basketball and being calm on the court. That's what worries me more.

"I know he's a real champion. We're all ready to perform at our best when the lights are shining. When it doesn't happen, no one needs to tell you anything. Because we just want to win. "

Stephen, how confident are you that Klay will stay with you and Draymond with the Warriors next season?

"I can never imagine a life without those two guys around," Curry said. I know this alliance is changing and there is so much to do. We don't play forever. But we've been through so much together. At the end of the day, I know they want to win and I want to win and that's all I care about. ”

Here's the thing: The Warriors can't play with the same lineup next season and expect to be more competitive than Tuesday's game. This team is slow, old, and worth a lot of money, and it can't even make the playoffs. But the Warriors must also not ignore the value of keeping these three players together for as long as possible, even if the roles and salaries have to be reduced. We'll have to wait and see if Clay is ready to take it all and digest it all, whether silently, loudly or in any way he wishes.