Klay Thompson's injuries and contract made him the odd man out in the Golden State Warriors' dynasty. Now, playing for a struggling Dallas Mavericks team, fans have seemingly forgotten how much of a superstar he was in his prime.
The Warriors, on the other hand, have also struggled to find consistency. Jimmy Butler is a great player, but he's not always the secondary scorer the team needs him to be.
Buddy Hield might be one of the few volume shooters who can keep up with Thompson in terms of efficiency, but he's not the same defensive presence and consistent scorer Thompson was.
That's why it seems like a reunion would make perfect sense for both parties. And, according to ESPN insider Anthony Slater, the Warriors would actually consider doing so if Steph Curry were to push for it.
Steph Curry could push for Klay Thompson's return
"Those around Thompson say they believe it could eventually happen because 'there's no one that carries more weight with Klay than Steph,' one league source said. But Curry would have to push for it," Slater wrote.
When asked about that possibility, the four-time NBA champion actually gushed. He didn't shy away from it, and he openly claimed that he'd gladly play his part in that happening, even though it looks like a long shot at this point:
"It would be unbelievable," Curry said of a potential reunion. "If that time comes and that conversation is had, of course I'm calling him and saying, 'We want you back.' And hopefully that would be a welcome message to him. But as we stand right now, that does seem like a far distant reality. But so did him leaving."
Thompson was demoted to the second unit after struggling with his shot earlier in the season.
He's in the second year of a three-year, $50 million contract, and with the Mavericks trading Luka Doncic away, they're no longer the championship contender he thought they'd be in the twilight years of his career.
That's why, even though it might be tricky to make the numbers match, Thompson would certainly welcome a return to the Bay Area.
And even if he's not the type of player the Warriors need to turn things around and make one final run at a ring in the Curry era, they all deserve to finish this in the same way they started it: Together.