Warriors owner promises to build a statue of Klay Thompson when he retires

Golden State owner Joe Lacob, who once said his franchise was “light years” ahead of the rest of the NBA, has never been shy about expressing his feelings or criticizing other teams around the league. After two years of failing to win another title, he said this week that he is getting used to his royalty and feels like it's been “a long time” without a title.

However, it didn't quite happen, as the Warriors' last championship came just two years ago. You have The Athletic NBA Show podcast On Tuesday, Lacob talked about how difficult it is to make a trade happen in today's NBA, when he tried to explain why it was so difficult to keep Klay Thompson in the Bay Area.

“If I can share anything with a lot of fans out there – and I read everything, you know, I read what people say, the criticism and the good things – they don't understand how difficult it is and that some of it is absurd. parties on the other side sometimes,” said Lacob.

Joe Lacob on Klay Thompson: 'I hope we'll be friends forever' @unstoppablebaby

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With the passage of the new CBA, negotiations with the players have entered unknown territory. “Maybe we're naive too, to some extent, but my point is that it's really hard to get rid of these things. And everyone is writing all these things and they don't know what the other side is asking for some of these things,” he confirmed.

Despite this, the Golden State owner has promised to honor Thompson when he decides to retire, with a statue erected outside the Chase Center. He also confirmed that the Warriors will have to “kick ass” when they meet next season, but hopes they will remain “friends forever.”

“I'm very happy with where we are right now,” added Lacob. “Am I satisfied? No never. We will always be in the market to develop our team. Always. Always. I don't care what team we have. If we can find someone else and make a deal that makes us better? Great, we will. We are always looking. We will be the most aggressive team in the league.”

The Warriors have now traded for players such as Buddy Field, Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton, and are still hoping to find at least one player who will fit their shooting and defensive style. However, GM Mike Dunleavy doesn't believe this fourth star will arrive anytime soon.

Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy 'confidently' says Steph Curry will be a 'Hero for life'.

With Stephen Curry's contract expiring in Golden State after the 2025-26 season, he is eligible for an additional year extension this summer. However, with the player currently focused on Team USA's pursuit of a gold medal at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, this discussion remains on the team's to-do list until he returns to action.

However, the All-Star guard has made it clear that his desire is to remain a member of the only NBA franchise he has ever played for until retirement. And now it appears the Bay Area front office is on the same page. The team's general manager has revealed his intentions for Curry's future this weekend.

“That person can get whatever they want,” Mike Dunleavy said at a press conference Friday. “It's been a race here to get through the draft and free agency and summer league, but all of that will be available. Steph, I think I can say with confidence, that you will be a Hero for life.”

“I think it would have been difficult to run the same team back,” explained the GM. “Although 46 wins is great, we didn't make the playoffs. But this is not something where it is like completely broken. We just need to tune some things. I think we were able to do that, and we're happy with this team.”