David West highlighted the moment he knew Klay Thompson was going to leave the Warriors: "Oh, nah, that's a wrap for my boy"

David West highlighted the moment he knew Klay Thompson was going to leave the Warriors: “Oh, nah, that’s a wrap for my boy” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson duo is widely considered the greatest shooting tandem we’ve ever seen on the basketball court. Their 14-year run with the Golden State Warriors was generational as both Klay and Steph fed off each other’s game perfectly.

The success was historic as well, with the tandem winning four NBA championships from 2015 to 2022 while being key parts in building a dynasty.

Even after Klay has suffered some catastrophic injuries in his career, like tearing the ACL and his Achilles, while rehabbing that ACL injury, every NBA fan couldn’t even imagine Thompson playing for a different team. However, that was the reality during the 2024 offseason when Thompson signed a three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks worth $50 million.

Injuries ended his time in Golden State

The reason why the Warriors decided to move on was slow decline Klay’s been on ever since his injuries happened.

It all culminated during the 2023-24 season when Thompson had his worst season with the Warriors, averaging 17.9 points per game on a poor 43.2 percent shooting from the field. He was worse as a rookie, but first year in the league is looked as the development year for most players.

In 2023, Klay’s role slowly decreased as the year went by and Thompson, with his competitive fire still burning, decided to take his talents to Dallas in search of a better role and more responsibility. And if you ask his former teammate David West, there was an exact moment during the season he knew Klay was done in Golden State.

“Klay has always been a little different. Klay is hyper-competitive. So, when they tried to bring him off the bench and all that sh—, I said, ‘Oh, nah, that’s a wrap for my boy.’ ‘Cause Klay is competitive as sh—. He’s just one of them dudes. He’s a hooper, he’s gonna try to bust your a—,” West spoke about Thompson on the Knuckleheads Podcast earlier this year.

Prime Klay is done

Even though Thompson has probably hoped that the change of scenery would help improve his play, the reality is that his best days are behind him. Last season in 72 games for the Mavs, he had career worst year if we disregard his rookie season.

Klay only averaged 14.0 points on a career-worst shooting from the field, 41.2 percent. He also only played 27.3 minutes per game, which was also the smallest number of minutes since his rookie season. While Luka Doncic being injured for a lot of the season and ultimately getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t help, the truth is, Thompson is much closer to the end of his career than his prime. Injuries have taken their toll and at 35 years of age it’s tough to perform like he once could.

That’s not to say Klay can’t have a role on a Dallas team that’s expected to do a lot of damage next season. He can be a perfect fit next to guys like Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving (when he returns from his ACL tear).

But his days as an elite shooting guard in this league are done.

It’s a full-circle moment for a player who has overcome so many obstacles in his career, but nobody has ever beaten Father Time and he’s just the latest example. Competitive fire is still there, but physically it’s getting tougher and tougher for Thompson.

However, no matter how his Dallas stint ends, Klay’s deserving spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame awaits him after his retirement.

Every basketball fan will agree with that statement and that is enough to show what kind of legendary career Thompson has had.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.

David West highlighted the moment he knew Klay Thompson was going to leave the Warriors: “Oh, nah, that’s a wrap for my boy”

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