Spuerstar leaves Warriors, agrees to one-year deal with Miami Heat…
The Dallas Mavericks surprised some people this offseason by signing future Hall of Famer and four-time champion Klay Thompson on a 3-year, $50 million deal, as he chose less money and fewer years to come to Dallas over the Los Angeles Lakers. Most expected he would finish his career with the Golden State Warriors, the only franchise he’s ever played for, but that just wasn’t the case.
One of the people surprised is his now former teammate Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors selected Kuminga 7th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and won a championship with Golden State and Thompson in 2022. Kuminga has been in Las Vegas watching the NBA Summer League and was asked about Klay Thompson signing with the Mavericks.
“I was a little shocked,” Kuminga said. “Klay is somebody that took me under his wing when I first got drafted. He was one of my role models when I was out there. He always told me how the league functioned… I’m happy for him at the end of the day. Every decision he makes, he makes for his own good and for his future. I still talk to him, ask him questions about how things work and stuff like that.”
It’ll be weird for a lot of NBA fans to see Thompson in a jersey other than a Golden State jersey. He should pair with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to form a dynamic offense.
Kuminga will have to continue to step up in the absence of Thompson. While they signed Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson in free agency, the Warriors will need some internal development too. Kuminga improved to 16.1 PPG last season, his third year in the NBA, and the Warriors are hoping he can be a secondary scorer to Steph Curry.
