Draymond Green Calls Out 'Bulls--t' Narratives Around Klay Thompson's Heat Contract

Draymond Green believes sports media is setting up former teammate Klay Thompson for failure after the sharp-shooter joined the Miami Heat.

"I don't like how everybody is trying to act like 'oh it's Klay Thompson! Klay to the Heat!' Like this is Klay from 2018," the Golden State Warriors forward said on his podcast. "The reason I don't like it is because I feel like everybody is trying to set Klay up for failure. I'm going to say it right here right now. Let's stop acting like it's 2017 Klay going to Miami. 

"I wish sports media would speak on it more like when Ray Allen went to Miami. That's the role I'd expect Klay to play. Don't try to set my brother up like you about to get the 2017 Klay so the moment you don't, you all can bash him. That's bulls--t. He's going into year 16 of his career. And we obviously know the injuries that he's faced. Yes he is going to provide shooting because he can shoot the lights out the ball. … But don't try to build it up like 'oh man look what happened' so y'all can tear him down."

Green defending Thompson is anything but a surprise, as they won four championships together with the Warriors.

His comments about tempering expectations are also fair. Thompson is 36 years old, has suffered multiple significant injuries during his career and was moved into a bench role last season for the Dallas Mavericks as he averaged a career-low 11.7 points per game.

Frankly, Thompson isn't going to be the Splash Brothers version of himself who could take over games with his scoring during his peak with the Warriors. He was a perfect complement to Stephen Curry on the offensive side and was also a lockdown defender at his best.

Still, it is easy to look at his fit with the Heat and believe in his ability to make an impact.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are going to generate the majority of defensive attention from opponents, which should lead to plenty of open looks from their teammates. Thompson is better suited than almost anyone in NBA history to knock down those open looks from the outside.

And Green acknowledged as much by saying Thompson will shoot at an incredible level until he is 60 years old.

But that doesn't mean he is going to be the same player he was when he was a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection in Golden State.