Steph, Klay Don’t Think Dubs Will Trade Klay for K-Love

#MindMelting

(#NotReally)

Speaking with Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears, Thompson addressed the Kevin Love trade rumors that continue to envelop Golden State, often at the expense of Klay himself:

We got a good core. I feel we have one of the better backcourts in the league.

I feel like we have a team that can do big things. Health is going to be huge, but I feel like we can make big strides this year.

The fact that I haven’t been traded yet makes me feel comfortable. That speaks for itself.

Curry waxed faith in Thompson’s continued presence as well:

Every year there is some rumor in play and teams are trying to make a power move. But they’ve made a decision, at least it seems like they have, that Klay is an investment they don’t want to give up. That speaks volumes to what he has been able to do in his career and his potential. I’m happy that he’s my backcourt mate.

The whole Thomspon-Love situation has been too weird to fully grasp. The Warriors naturally don’t want to give up Thompson in any Love trade. He’s a solid defender, dangerous shooter and he and Curry have three years of chemistry under their belts now.

But this is Kevin freaking Love we’re talking about. He’s a top-10 superstar and while removing Thompson’s defense for Love’s subpar defense might sting, Shaun Livingston is now in the Bay Area to help. Plus, Love is a superstar. Did I mention that? OK, cool. You don’t pass on this trade because of a guy like Thompson. You just don’t. He isn’t Curry. He’s not an especially good rebounder or passer and, you know, Love is a superstar.

Now, if the Warriors are sure Love isn’t going to re-sign with them next summer, then it’s a different story. But there’s no way they know that right now. And if they do, that means Love has told them, which also means he’s a tad daft.

This becomes doubly confusing when you consider Thompson is seeking a max contract extension, that, at some point, would wind up paying him a higher annual salary than Curry. (His contract extension was a unique situation, but still, holy shit. And stuff.)

Do the Warriors actually want to commit that much money to Thompson? The kid is good. So good, part of me understands why they don’t want to give him up. But he’s not a star. Not like Love. And the Cleveland Cavaliers are supposedly dangling Andrew Wiggins—who cannot be traded until next month after signing his rookie deal—so the Warriors need to step up or stand idly by as Love gets shipped to Cleveland or Boston or Denver or Uruguay or elsewhere, all while slinging some bull about how Thompson is both worth a max extension and the opportunity to acquire Love, when, really, he might not even be worth one of those things.