Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson has been on a minutes restriction to start the 2022-23 season, and head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged Tuesday that the veteran is frustrated he's not playing more.

Kerr told reporters:

"He's frustrated that he can't play more right now. He'd like to have his minutes bumped up, but the reality is you get a little older as a player when you've had some injuries is you've got to be a little more patient. You have to be on top of everything all year long, and you've got to be careful. We're not going to mess around with that.

"So, his minutes will stay the same and he'll be frustrated because he's Klay, but he'll be fine."

The Warriors have been cautious with Thompson's return to the floor this season given his injury history. He did not participate in scrimmages during training camp and also appeared in just one of the team's preseason games.

As Thompson continues to work on his conditioning, he told reporters Tuesday that he knows he still has "another level to get to" in order to get back to his typical workload, adding that he thinks he'll be able to do that "sooner than later."

"I'm such a perfectionist, I want to be great right now," Thompson said. "But I got to realize, man, it's a long season. I'd rather peak come playoff time rather than early November or into January."

Entering Tuesday's game against the Phoenix Suns, Thompson was averaging 23.4 minutes per night through Golden State's first three games. The three-time NBA champion typically plays between 30-35 minutes per game.

Thompson averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists through the team's first three games while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from deep.

After a two-year hiatus because of injuries—a torn ACL in 2019-20 and a torn Achilles in 2020-21—Thompson returned to the court in January of the 2021-22 campaign and appeared in 32 games, averaging 29.4 minutes per night.

The 32-year-old averaged 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from deep.

Thompson returned to his normal workload in the 2022 playoffs, averaging 36.0 minutes per game and averaging 19.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22 games while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from deep.

It's clear Thompson will return to his normal workload, but the Warriors are smart to use him less than 30 minutes per night to open the season, especially considering they opened the season with a 2-1 record and have plenty of depth.

Magic Johnson's loyalty to the Los Angeles Lakers apparently got in the way of him buying a stake in the Golden State Warriors.

During a discussion with Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast (h/t Jonathan Sherman of Lakers Daily), Johnson revealed that Warriors governor Joe Lacob and executive chairman Peter Guber attempted to persuade him to purchase a stake in the team.

"I do, just the right situation," Johnson said when asked if he had interest in NBA ownership. "But I'm such a Laker fan, I don't know if I can do it. … I've had four opportunities, and I turned them all down. Joe Lacob and Peter Guber sat down with lunch with me in Santa Monica. 'We want you to be our partners with the Golden State Warriors.' I love both men. I just couldn't do it. I'm a Laker. I love the Lakers."

Johnson, who is a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Sparks, played his entire Hall of Fame career for the Purple and Gold, winning five championships and three league MVPs.

He was also the team's president of basketball operations at one time, although he stepped down in a rather shocking fashion in April 2019.

If Johnson was going to be involved with purchasing a stake in a team, it's hard to script a better situation than the one with the Warriors. Golden State has won four of the last eight championships, moved to a new arena in 2019 and was named the NBA's second-most valuable team by Forbes for the 2021-22 season.

Johnson had his chance to be a part of it, but the idea of being involved with a Western Conference rival didn't seem to sit right with him.

It's been three years since Kevin Durant parted ways with the Golden State Warriors to join the Brooklyn Nets, but many are still wondering how his former teammates felt about his departure.

Warriors guard Klay Thompson said on the ALL THE SMOKE podcast that Golden State has no ill-will toward Durant and the other players understand why he made his decision to leave:

"We don't blame Kevin for leaving at all. He is from the East Coast. If I was on the East Coast and I had a great, almost, it was two games away from a three-peat, it was like what more y'all want from me, man? You want a six-peat, you know? If it wasn't for catastrophic things, like, we probably would've had three championships in that time. But, uh, man, we don't blame him at all. We knew he kind of wanted to bounce a little bit. I mean, go back home and we'll still forever have those two, going back-to-back and gosh, so close."

Durant surprised the masses when he departed the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Warriors as a free agent ahead of the 2016-17 season. Joining a core that included Thompson, two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry and defensive specialist Draymond Green put Durant in prime position to chase the championship ring that had eluded him at that point in his career.

The 12-time All-Star achieved his goal, winning two NBA titles and back-to-back Finals MVP awards. Golden State's chance at a three-peat was derailed when Durant tore his Achilles and Thompson tore his ACL in the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors.

When Durant departed the Warriors, the team missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons before making a triumphant return to the postseason in 2021-22. Golden State won its fourth NBA title in the last eight years, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 Finals.

Since joining the Nets, Durant hasn't advanced past the conference semifinals. Brooklyn disappointingly finished seventh in the East last season and was swept in the first round by the Celtics.

However, the team appears poised to contend for a title this year thanks to the return of Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and other key pieces who were sidelined last season.

Kevin Durant is widely considered one of the greatest players of his generation, but former Golden State Warriors teammate Klay Thompson believes the 12-time All-Star is still taken for granted.

On All The Smoke, Thompson said the three years Durant spent in the Bay Area were "special."

"That's why it bothers me when people don't talk about Kevin's greatness," Thompson said at the 1:03:40 mark. "This man averaged 35 and 15 in the Finals. ... That's like Shaq numbers. Like, what are we doing here? It's like, 'He's a bus rider' and all this stuff. You can't argue with the numbers. 35 and 15."

Thompson isn't saying anything Durant's supporters haven't already voiced before.

You don't expect everybody to agree about how they feel toward a certain player. In the case of KD, though, you'd be hard-pressed to find another legend with his résumé who gets treated so dismissively at times.

Thompson's "bus rider" comment was a reference to something Charles Barkley said about KD in the spring. Barkley attempted to argue Durant was "riding the bus" with the Warriors because they were a championship-winning squad with a central figure, Stephen Curry, before he arrived.

That mindset always downplays how badly Golden State needed the 2013-14 MVP, especially toward the end of his brief tenure.

The Cleveland Cavaliers simply had no answer for Durant in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals. He won Finals MVP both years, notably averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the 2017 Finals. Then his value was evident in the 2019 Finals, when the Warriors fell behind 3-1 without him and eventually lost in six games after he tore his Achilles tendon.

Golden State winning another title in 2022 doesn't change history, either. If anything, it drove home how dominant the franchise might've remained if he had stayed. Granted, the idea that Durant was simply riding the Warriors' and Curry's coattails would've persisted, too.

It is what it is at this point. Most fans have probably set their narratives for Durant, and lifting a championship with the Brooklyn Nets or another franchise might not be enough to change that.

There was a time when Klay Thompson was the Golden State Warriors' two-way player tasked with scoring 20-plus points all while defending the opponent's best player on a nightly basis.

He's thankful that task now belongs to Andrew Wiggins.

"I'm so grateful for Andrew, though," he said during an interview with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson for Showtime's All The Smoke. "Oh my gosh, he makes my job so much easier. I watch him, like, bro, I can't believe you have to chase around Dončić and Tatum and Morant all game and then go get us 20. I'm exhausted watching you play."

Thompson will forever be a Warriors legend for his role in helping the team win four championships.

He is one-half of the Splash Brothers backcourt with Stephen Curry, one of the best shooters in NBA history, a five-time All-Star and a 2018-19 All-Defensive second-team selection. The All-Defensive honor underscores just how important his efforts were on that side of the ball during the run to five straight NBA Finals from 2015 through 2019.

Yet he missed the 2019-20 season as he recovered from a torn ACL he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors and the 2020-21 season with a ruptured Achilles.

The physical toll of back-to-back significant injuries, and the fact he will turn 33 years old in February, means he is no longer as well-suited to assume the same level of defensive responsibilities all while remaining a threat from beyond the arc on the offensive side.

Fortunately for Thompson, the Warriors traded for Wiggins during the 2019-20 campaign while he was out.

The 27-year-old Wiggins is now tasked with defending the opponent's best wing player, which takes some of the pressure off the Splash Brothers' shoulders and allows them to focus more of their energy on offense.

Golden State likely would not have won the title last season without Wiggins battling on the boards, providing secondary scoring and defending the likes of Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum.

Thompson knows it.

Klay Thompson's current contract expires after the 2023-24 season, but he has every intention of signing another one and continuing his NBA career.

"There's a report out there—I have no intention of retiring in 2024," he told reporters Thursday. "If you write some dumb s--t like that, be held accountable. That's crazy. Just because I didn't play five-on-five doesn't mean I'm gonna retire. That is absurd."

Thompson appeared to be referencing comments San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter Connor Letourneau made during a guest segment on KNBR radio.

"The reality is that Klay does have two more years on his deal," Letourneau said. "I personally would not be shocked if Klay just retired from basketball at the end of that contract. I don't think it's going to be between this season and next season. If he does retire in the near future it would be after his contract ends. He's had no interest or desire to talk about extensions, even though he is extension eligible right now."

It should be noted Letourneau was not reporting that Thompson will retire.

Rather, he was speculating it could happen in the aftermath of multiple serious injuries that sidelined Thompson for more than years. Letourneau said the shooting guard "was very open with me about how the trauma from that experience is very real."

Thompson tore his ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors, forcing him to miss the entire 2019-20 season.

He then missed the following campaign when he ruptured his Achilles and didn't make his return to the court until January of the 2021-22 season. He appeared in 32 games in all last season, and his 29.4 minutes per game was his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2011-12.

Thompson was still able to help lead the Warriors to the championship, which was the fourth one of his career.

The five-time All-Star will forever be a franchise legend, but he turns 33 years old this season and dealt with far more significant injuries than many players do at any point in their careers.

It would be shocking to see him suit up for another team, although Golden State recently agreed to long-term extensions with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins and also has a Draymond Green situation looming since he has a player option for next season.

The team will eventually have to figure out a way to make a Thompson deal work if he is going to stay, and he was adamant that retirement is off the table.

Nobody can accuse Andrew Wiggins of setting the bar too low after he agreed to a four-year, $109 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

"I want to be a legend here," he said, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

While legendary status may be asking too much for any given player, the expectation is almost always at least consistent All-Star appearances for any No. 1 pick in the draft. Things were no different regarding Wiggins when he heard his name called in 2014.

Even with a Rookie of the Year award, he never quite lived up to those expectations during his first five-plus seasons on the Minnesota Timberwolves before they traded him to the Warriors during the 2019-20 campaign.

Yet things started to turn from a national perspective for the Kansas product last season, as he made his first career All-Star Game and was an integral part of the Warriors' run to the championship with his ability to impact the game on both ends.

Whether it was soaring over Luka Dončić for a monster dunk in the Western Conference Finals, double-doubling with 26 points and 13 rebounds in a critical win over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, or defending the opponent's best wing player on an almost a nightly basis, Golden State likely doesn't win the title without Wiggins.

That is quite the first step toward becoming a legend for the team, and he seems to feel at home with the Western Conference powerhouse.

"It's just a place that gives me peace," he said. "A place that gives me peace. Where I can be myself. I feel like here—you know, some people will say like, 'We're all just one big family.' But they don't really say that here. They just show it. You know what I mean? They just show it. Families love to be here because they treat everyone so good, like a top-notch organization.

"And these guys, everyone wants to win, we're all on the same page, from top to bottom. We all want to see each other succeed. It gives me peace."

Perhaps that is why he accepted a contract extension that will pay him less annually ($27.3 million) than he is currently making ($33.6 million).

But the move provided stability for himself and a franchise that is still in win-now mode with Stephen Curry leading the way. And if Wiggins is a driving force in multiple more championships?

He really will be a Golden State legend.

Stephen Curry used a portion of the Golden State Warriors' ring ceremony Tuesday night to call for the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russia, where she's been held since being detained on drug charges in February.

Griner, whose 32nd birthday was Tuesday, received a nine-year prison sentence in August. She has appealed the decision.

The United States has engaged with Russia on discussions about a potential prisoner swap despite political tension related to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

In July, after the U.S. offered Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and fellow American detainee Paul Whelan, National Security Council communications director John Kirby told CNN's Jim Sciutto that Russia responded with a "bad faith attempt" at a counteroffer.

Few updates about the state of negotiations have been provided since Griner's prison sentence was announced.

Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, and Whelan's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, to discuss the administration's continued efforts to secure their release.

"The President held the meetings to reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "He asked after the wellbeing of Elizabeth and Cherelle and their respective families during this painful time."

Griner was traveling to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason, as she'd done since 2014, when she was detained after Russian officials said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

"I still don't understand to this day how they ended up in my bags," Griner said during her trial in July. "I didn't have any intent to use or keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia."

Several WNBA stars, including Ekaterinburg teammate Breanna Stewart, have made daily social media posts calling for her release.

Stewart and the other WNBA players who played in Russia last season—a group of around a dozen players—told Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press they wouldn't return to the Russian Premier League amid Griner's continued detainment.

Griner is one of the most decorated basketball players of her generation, having won four EuroLeague titles, three Russian Premier League titles, a WNBA championship and an NCAA championship. She's also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.

The Golden State Warriors' 2021-22 NBA championship rings are among the most unique in NBA history, as they pay homage to the four titles the Dubs have won over the past eight years.

The rings, which were designed by Jason of Beverly Hills, feature a secret compartment that opens to reveal the number of Larry O'Brien Trophies the specific player, coach or executive has won during their time with the Warriors:

The rings given to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala all have four trophies in the compartment since they have been present for Golden State's entire dynastic run.

Players like Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, who won a championship for the first time last season, have one trophy hidden in their ring.

The rings feature 16 carats of yellow and white diamonds to represent the team's 16 wins during last season's playoff run, as well as seven carats of yellow cushion cut diamonds in reference to the franchise's seven championships, and 43 baguettes in remembrance of Curry's 43-point showing in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Also featured on the ring are seven trophies in celebration of the Warriors' all-time championship wins and the team's "just us" motto.

The Warriors received the rings Tuesday night prior to their 2022-23 season-opening game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Golden State celebrated in style with a convincing 123-109 win, signaling that the Dubs will be among the top championship contenders once again this season.