Golden State Warriors: 5 Reasons Keeping Klay Thompson Makes Sense

Keeping Klay Thompson:

When Golden State Warriors management remained stubborn on a potential Kevin Love trade this summer, it quickly found out how it feels to be a basketball net under a barrage of Splash Brothers threes. The criticism was swift, unrelenting and harsh, pelting the Dubs for their off-limits stance on Klay Thompson. When Love was officially traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last weekend, month-old questions reared up again:

Does owner Joe Lacob not even want to win a championship?  

Did the Dubs lose their minds holding off on a trade for a superstar because of a young rotation player?

Just how good must that California weed be for Golden State to have passed up a chance like this??

The only ones defending the decision to not involve Thompson in a deal — which ultimately led to a standoff and a better trade offer from Cleveland — were (slightly overzealous) Warriors fans themselves. “Love is overrated,” they said, while ignoring his massive 26-12-4 stat line from last season. “Thompson is a way better defender and you can’t just split up the Splash Brothers!”

To be clear, there were definite pitfalls with a Love trade, and anyone doubting Lacob should recall where this franchise has been the past few decades. However, there were also definite advantages to pursuing a Love trade, and now there’s a ton of pressure on Thompson to excel in 2014-15 so the notorious “What if?” question doesn’t become the story of the season, or the next five seasons.

But in honor of those loyal Dubs fans who have defended the decision-making this whole summer, it’s time to take a look at why keeping Klay Thompson makes sense.