The Warriors’ hesitation on Anthony Davis wasn’t some brand-new epiphany. According to reporting, Klay Thompson had already been there years earlier.
Golden State spent weeks this offseason being tied to Davis, especially as the team’s search for a star kept circling back to his former Lakers teammate LeBron James. But The Ringer’s Logan Murdock reported that the Warriors ultimately backed away because they were uneasy about Davis’ injury history. That same concern, it turns out, had already crossed Thompson’s mind.
Christian Clark of The Athletic reported Saturday that Thompson passed on the Lakers two years ago in part because of Davis’ availability. As Clark wrote, "But one of the reasons Thompson chose the Mavericks over the Lakers was that he had concerns about Davis’ availability, a source with knowledge of his thinking said,"
That call looks pretty sharp in hindsight. Since that free agency decision, Davis has appeared in just 71 of a possible 164 games over the last two years.
Davis, now 33, has said he plans to be much more available for the Washington Wizards this season, but the Wizards themselves are taking a wait-and-see approach. They’ve mutually agreed to hold off on extension talks until midway through the season so they can get a clearer read on his health and what he brings to a promising young roster.
Thompson’s own path has been a strange one. He left Golden State for the Mavericks in the 2024 offseason, turning down a larger Lakers offer to sign a three-year, $50 million deal. Now he’s on the move again, heading to the Miami Heat after a buyout that ends his Dallas stint.
And the weirdest part? Thompson and Davis ended up teammates anyway.
That happened after Dallas stunned the league by sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Davis. The pairing didn’t last long. The two played only 27 games together, and the Mavericks went 14-13 in those games before Davis was dealt to the Wizards at the February trade deadline for what was described as a fairly mediocre return.
The Doncic-Davis swap blew up Dallas’ timeline and set up a very different future - one Thompson was never going to stick around for. His buyout agreement came Friday, and he’s expected to join the Heat on a two-year, $13 million contract.
As for Golden State, the search goes on. The Warriors are still hunting for their next major swing after an underwhelming offseason, and Davis could always come back into the picture if he stays healthy through the first half of the season.
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