"A Bay Area God": Kevin Durant drops heartfelt reaction to Klay Thompson's emotional farewell message for Warriors

Golden State legend Klay Thompson officially said goodbye to the Warriors in an Instagram post on Friday. His former teammate Kevin Durant commented, wishing him luck in his next chapter.

Klay Thompson is joining the Dallas Mavericks after 11 seasons with the Warriors. In his message to the Bay Area, he reflected on having the "best times of my life" there, noting that the best part of his Warriors journey was not the rings but the “friendships I made that will last a lifetime.”

Durant commented on Thompson's post, saying:

“A Bay Area God. One chapter closes, another one opens. Keep doing you, champ."

Durant and Thompson were teammates on the Warriors from 2016-17 to 2018-19. They won two championships together, and their big three with Steph Curry is considered one of the greatest of all time.

During his time with the Warriors, Klay Thompson averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He was selected for five All-Star games and won four NBA championships.

Thompson has maintained a 3-point shooting percentage of 41.3 throughout his career. However, his 3-point shooting percentage of 38.7% in the 2023-24 season was the second-lowest of his career and only the second time he has shot below 40% from beyond the arc.

He also shot 43.2% from the field, ranking among the bottom three seasons of his career. Despite these struggles, he achieved a career-best free-throw shooting percentage of 92.7% this past season.

In 2023-24, his final season with Golden State, Thompson averaged 17.9 points while shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range across 77 games. It was his first season averaging under 20 points since 2013-14.

In his final game with the Warriors, a Play-In Tournament matchup against the Sacramento Kings, he went 0-10 from the field.

Warriors turn Klay Thompson deal into 5-team affair

The Warriors have made several acquisitions following Klay Thompson's departure. They completed a complicated sign-and-trade deal involving five teams to fill his void.

The Warriors acquired Kyle Anderson from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Buddy Hield from the Philadelphia 76ers in sign-and-trade deals. Additionally, they received two future second-round draft picks from the Charlotte Hornets.

The team also added guard De'Anthony Melton on a one-year, $12.8 million contract.

Reinforcing the team with Hield is one of the Warriors’ most interesting moves as they aim to improve from their 46-36 season, which ended with a defeat in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Buddy Hield, 31, has made the most threes in the NBA over the past five seasons with 1,322 3-pointers. Curry is No. 2 with 1,264.

Hield, who was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the 76ers in February, averaged 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in a career-high 84 games during the 2023-24 NBA season.