Klay Thompson Was Mad About Warriors Not Paying Him His Money, Reveals Richard Jefferson

Richard Jefferson shared a true story about the rift between Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors over not getting paid his due last season.

By Natasha Bose

Updated on Jul 02, 2024 | 10:50 AM IST | 40.7K

Richard Jefferson Reveals Rift Between Klay Thompson and Warriors Over Money

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Richard Jefferson stated that Klay Thompson had a rift with the Warriors over not being paid his due
Klay Thompson took less money to join the Mavericks over other potential suitors

Klay Thompson is leaving the Golden State Warriors after agreeing to a $50 million sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Thompson, who has spent his entire career with the Warriors, is now embarking on a new journey with the Mavericks.

In this three-team deal, Golden State will receive a pair of second-round picks. As the deal concludes, reports indicate that everything was not going well between Thompson and the Warriors. ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson shared a story that reveals the tension between them.

Richard Jefferson stated that Klay Thompson had a rift with the Warriors over not being paid his due

Jefferson and Thompson had an encounter back in December when the long-time Golden State guard expressed his frustration about his 13-year tenure with the team. Here’s what Jefferson shared on ESPN’s latest episode of NBA Today.

“I never have shared this before out of respect to Klay,” Jefferson said Monday. “Getting off an elevator on Christmas Day of this past year, I see Klay, ‘Oh, Klay. What’s up?’ He says, ‘What’s up?’ I’m like, ‘Hey, man. Keep your mentals right.’ He’s like, ‘Man, tell them to pay me my money.’”

Jefferson didn’t specify the exact timing of his conversation with Thompson, but it was clear that Thompson wasn’t happy, especially after finishing the game 3-for-12 with nine points, six rebounds, and one assist.

There is debate about whether Thompson or the Warriors initiated the split, but Jefferson clearly supports Thompson.

“This was on Christmas Day,” Jefferson said. “So on Christmas Day, a guy that has won four championships -- and I don’t give a damn how much money [Golden State] gave him over the years because he turned their franchise around. That franchise is worth billions of dollars.

“Not just because of Steph, it’s also because of Klay. They changed the game. It wasn’t just Steph changing the game, it was Steph and Klay in that backcourt. So I say [Klay] has a right to be mad.” Jefferson has always supported Thompson.

The two were teammates during Thompson’s first two seasons with the Warriors, starting in 2011-12. Thompson’s departure surprised Dub Nation and the NBA world, but it seems he was never going to stay with Golden State for the 2024-25 NBA season.

As Jefferson recalled, Thompson truly wanted his money and was ready to switch teams to get it.

Klay Thompson took less money to join the Mavericks over other potential suitors

Free agent and four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson is taking less money to join the Dallas Mavericks. Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with Dallas on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Mavericks sent two second-round draft picks, one in 2025 and another in 2031, to Golden State as part of the deal, per the report.

Thompson spent his first 13 NBA seasons with the Warriors. He signed a five-year, $189.9 million contract with the Warriors in 2019, just weeks after suffering a torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season. The five-time All-Star then tore his Achilles the following offseason, causing him to miss the 2020-21 season and much of 2021-22.

According to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the 34-year-old is expected to join Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas on a three-year, $50 million deal with a player option, which wasn’t the most lucrative offer he received.

Earlier this week, The Athletic reported that the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers were also interested in Thompson, with Wojnarowski stating that Thompson turned down other four-year offers worth more money.

The five-time NBA All-Star reportedly rejected a two-year, $48 million deal to stay with the Warriors last offseason, leading him to enter free agency.

Although Thompson's dispute with the Warriors was about financial disagreements over a potential contract, he still chose to take less money to join the Mavericks. Tom Tolbert reported that the Warriors had offered him a two-year deal but withdrew it after the 2023-24 season. Thompson felt disrespected by this move.

Despite his feelings towards how the Warriors handled his contract situation, he opted for a sign-and-trade instead of leaving the Warriors with nothing.

Thompson now joins a Mavericks team that recently appeared in the NBA Finals and is ready to make another deep playoff run to win an NBA championship.