Kurtenbach: Klay Thompson wants to live in the present. His Warriors future will be rooted in the past

Klay Thompson wants us to live in the present.

I think he’s living in the past.

But ultimately, we should expect him to be part of the Warriors’ future.

Following what was inarguably his worst performance as a professional basketball player in the Warriors’ season-ending, play-in tournament loss to the Kings — a game where Thompson’s defense was as poor as his offense (and he went 0-for-10 from the floor) — it was impossible to not wonder if the pending unrestricted free agent had played his last game for the Dubs.

He clearly had the same question, as he made a little show of spinning around as he walked off the court at Golden 1 Center Tuesday, taking it all in.

And yet Wednesday, when asked about his future to open his end-of-season press conference, he decided to put on another little show.

“We don’t want to talk about the season first?” Thompson said. “You want to talk about the future? There was a lot of games played, man. That was a pretty big accomplishment. What’s up with y’all not wanting to live in the present? It’s ridiculous.”

It was ridiculous, but only for Thompson.

There’s a lot to unpack with that opening comment, which was not tongue-in-cheek.

To begin, the present is the future for Thompson and Golden State — the Warriors don’t have any game between now and Thompson’s official start to free agency. (Plus, we all know behind the scenes free agency really started months ago.)

Playing as many games (78) as Thompson did after his two catastrophic leg injuries is laudable, no doubt. I can understand him not taking that for granted.

But the actual production in those games deserves — and deserved — scrutiny.

I won’t pin the Warriors’ loss to the Kings solely on Thompson, but he played a significant role in that pitiful performance. And while the Warriors coaching staff is culpable for some of those frustrations — he kept finding himself in positions to fail, particularly on defense, Tuesday and throughout the season — the player is ultimately responsible for his play.

It’s important to note that Thompson played a significant role on the 2022 title team, averaging 19 points per game in the playoffs, which included massive performances to close the Western Conference Semifinals and Finals.

Last season, 2022-23, he was a 22-point-per-game scorer who hit 41 percent of his 3-pointers. He ran out of gas against the Lakers in the second round, though. In the final four games of a series that started 1-1, Thompson averaged 10.5 points per game, including his previous worst-ever performance, Game 6 in Los Angeles, where he shot 3-of-19 and was a minus-33 for the contest.

It was a harbinger of things to come.

This past season, Thompson adapted to new roles—first as a de facto power forward, then as a sixth man—more befitting his current form. He deserves plaudits for that.

I was shocked to see he averaged 18 points per game this regular season — pretty good! — given how up and down the campaign was.

But there are nights — Game 6 last year and this past Tuesday were great examples — where Thompson tries to be the old Klay again. He was living in the past, trying to be the player he once was — the Hall of Famer, the two-way star, and perhaps the second-greatest shooter to ever play the game — instead of the player he is in the present. Those kinds of nights almost always result in a loss for the Dubs.

And now — like it or not — scrutiny will come not in the form of a column, but rather in the free agent marketplace.

Will anyone break the bank to pay Thompson the $43 million he made last season?

I doubt it.

What I don’t doubt is the Warriors’ sincerity in wanting Thompson back.

The Warriors want Thompson back. Given their salary situation, they cannot reasonably replace his 18 points per game — if he leaves, his salary will come off the books and cannot be replaced. Good for Joe Lacob’s luxury tax bill. Bad for the Warriors on the court.

And probably bad for business, too.

In the aftermath of the Dubs’ embarrassment Tuesday, I have thought back to what should have been a forgettable game against the Clippers this past November.

The Warriors billed the game, played on Nov. 30, 2023, as 11.30.23 — a night to celebrate the core of the dynasty.

Certainly all three players — Thompson (11), Steph Curry (30), and Draymond Green (23) — cannot be praised enough for what they have done for the organization, region, and the sport of basketball. The Warriors should take every chance to celebrate them.

While the Dubs won that night, paced by 10 straight Thompson points in the fourth quarter and 26 overall from Curry, the tone of the celebration felt off.

It was eerily reminiscent of their neighbors’ Forever Giants’ campaign during their late-decade struggles. It was like a funeral all three attended.

The Warriors organization’s intentions were right, but they were living in the past, not the present.

And ultimately, I think they’ll continue to do that.

Maintaining the core — 11, 30, and 23 — for the next few years will keep corporations in the suites, butts in the real seats, and $20 beers in the cupholders. The arena might be paid off, but the Warriors’ record label, film production company, and WNBA foray are just a few additional mouths to feed amid this nearing-11-figure behemoth.

The analytics community might eschew sentimentality, but in this entertainment business, it’s still gold. If the Warriors go into next season knowing they can’t win a title in the present — with or without Thompson — and that the not-too-distant future is grim without Curry at the helm, they might as well keep living in the past.