Sigh. The terrible New York Knicks takes never end, not from Stephen A. Smith. You'd think he'd want better for a team he's a "fan" of. Unfortunately, he's proven that belief wrong time and time again.
In his latest rant, Stephen A. suggested the Knicks sign Klay Thompson in free agency. The current Warriors guard will be an unrestricted free agent and could leave Golden State for the first time in his career. The Warriors drafted him in 2011, and Thompson is part of the team's dynasty core.
That dynasty has rapidly come to an end. In Tuesday's Play-In Tournament, Sacramento owned Golden State from start to finish in a 118-94 win. It marked the first time the Warriors didn't advance to the playoffs with a healthy Thompson, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green. When the final buzzer sounded, it felt like an official goodbye to what once was.
As expected, there's been much speculation about whether the loss marked Thompson's final game in a Golden State uniform. Even though he said he'd like to remain in San Francisco and Steve Kerr echoed the same sentiment, who knows what will happen in free agency? If SAS had his way, the 34-year-old guard would go to New York (or Los Angeles).
.@stephenasmith believes Klay Thompson is "big-time valuable to a championship team" 👀
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 17, 2024
"Could you imagine LeBron James having Klay Thompson to kick the ball out to on the wing? Could you imagine the New York Knicks with Brunson and those boys having Klay Thompson?" pic.twitter.com/Uqkbs1DWUy
Stephen A. Smith suggest Knicks sign Klay Thompson in free agency
On ESPN's First Take, Smith said that Golden State's decision to re-sign Thompson should depend on the price. He suggested that the Warriors could throw the guard into a sign-and-trade to upgrade their roster.
Stephen A. was correct when he said that Thompson could have a better season in 2024-25, which could be true. He's one of the greatest shooters the NBA has ever seen. He and Steph were an unstoppable duo during the Warriors' golden years. While Curry is still performing at a high level, Thompson's production has dipped. Maybe it'll rise again next season.
This isn't a knock on Thompson, but unless the Knicks could get him for a low price (and he was willing to come off the bench), the front office shouldn't consider signing him. If he played in New York, he wouldn't start over Donte DiVincenzo. Would Thompson be okay with that? Maybe not.
Stephen A. wants to gloat over the Knicks signing a "star," even though that isn't who Thompson is anymore.