Update on Klay Thompson to Celtics, NBA trade rumors

Klay Thompson to the Celtics is a rumor and it will remain a rumor until Thompson is either traded to the Celtics or he retires.

Rumors get started in odd ways these days, no doubt. Some are based on fact, some are based on want (this fan base WANTS this to happen) and some are based on pure speculation (this writer or analyst thinks this trade would make some sense). Trade speculation is healthy. It’s part of what makes sports so fun to follow. So let’s add to the speculation.

Thompson to the Celtics does make sense … for the Celtics, of course. CSNNE’s Brian Scalabrine wasn’t even the first media personality to make light of some possible unrest in Golden State as Bill Simmons spoke about Thompson’s struggles as he looks to adjust to playing third or fourth fiddle.

“We’re gonna lose Klay soon. I think he flies off the reservation soon,” Simmons said on his podcast. “He gets upset. This isn’t his game. He’s a rhythm shooter. He needs the ball, like he’s not Kyle Korver. I don’t think he’s gonna handle this season well. No inside info, my spidey sense says that when you have four guys it’s really hard to keep all four happy when all four of them think they’re really really great at basketball. Somebody’s got to sacrifice.

“I promise you [Steve Kerr] is working Klay personally, telling him you’re as big a part of this team as anybody. But the reality is, they used to be Steph and Klay’s team and now it’s Steph and KD’s team. It’s a fact. You watch the game and the team belongs to those two guys and then you have the complementary guys.

“Klay is overqualified for the role he is playing on this team. I don’t know how you fix it. I mean, I’m pro this whole thing. It’s fascinating to watch [Golden State] but my favorite thing about that team was the heat-check potential of Steph and Klay at all times. And now it’s that same potential, it’s just with Steph and KD, and I just think that Klay needs the ball more often to get hot.

“The way they’ve set it up is that you’ve got to ride one of these guys. That’s kind of what they’ve done the last couple of years. And it’s still set up that way but the ball is always in Steph and Durant’s hands, and I don’t know how you keep Klay involved.

“I just thought Draymond [Green] was gonna be the one who would take a backseat. Four guys can’t be the most important guy on one team. And [Green] has to some extent, but he’s still having a huge impact on every game.”

It will be next to impossible for the Warriors to keep all four of their marquee stars in Golden State for a long stretch. Curry will get paid by the Warriors next summer and it’s highly likely that Durant opts in for year 2. Thompson may be the odd man out. He signed a four-year contract extension worth $70 million two years ago.