Is it blasphemy or a realistic trade proposition?
The NBA world is on fire with Jrue Holiday trade scenarios following his trade to the Portland Trail Blazers in the blockbuster that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Host Matt Steinmetz was stirring up the pot on Thursday’s edition of 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru”, when he suggested that the Warriors should explore trading Klay Thompson for Holiday.
“When you say they’re not trading Klay Thompson, you’re probably right,” Steiny told co-host Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson. “But I believe Joe Lacob would trade Klay Thompson for something that would make them better as a team and give them more flexibility moving forward.”
Thompson, 33, is about to make $43.2 million in the final year of his contract and has previously stated his desire to be a “Warrior for life,” while new general manager Mike Dunleavy recently said he’s interested in keeping Klay beyond next season.
Still, the goal to win a championship could trump Joe Lacob’s desire to keep the Warriors’ Big 3 together, and Holiday might be the exact type of player they’re looking for. The Blazers are expected to be a lottery team next year and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported “there was a mad dash across NBA front offices to get into meetings and Zoom calls” after the Dame trade went down, as Holiday might be on the “open market.”
Holiday is also 33 but is coming off the second All-Star Game appearance of his career, as he averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 2.4 3-pointers per game while also being known for his top-flight defense. Holiday is set to make $35 million this season and holds a $37.4 million player option for 2024-25.
If the Warriors ever did trade Klay it would be an absolute shocker, as he and Splash Brother Steph Curry have been teammates for Thompson’s entire career. For now, it’s just something to think about.
“I’d think they’d still sell out next year (if the Warriors traded Klay),” Steinmetz said. “The thing that would be unbelievably appealing to that — then you don’t have to pay Klay (long-term). I’m not saying they should do it, but I’m just thinking Joe Lacob is the kinda guy who would trade anybody but Steph, I really do.”