Stephen A. Smith Says Klay Thompson Is Tired of Getting Golden State's 'Crumbs'

The dark cloud of NBA free agency has been looming over the Warriors' head since the season began. Yet while everyone around the league is wondering where Kevin Durant will end up this summer, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith thinks Golden State should be more concerned with soothing another one of their disgruntled superstars. 

As known, Stephen A. Smith is notorious for "hearing" things around the sports world. And on Tuesday, Smith went on record claiming a source told him Klay Thompson is tired of being overshadowed by Golden State's stacked roster.

"I'm told Klay Thompson isn't happy, his number hasn't been called nearly enough," Smith said. "He's tired of sitting around and getting quote/unquote—this is a quote—'the crumbs' left behind by other people."

Although Klay doesn't generate the same star power as KD or Steph Curry, Thompson is highly regarded as one of the NBA's most efficient players. His offensive versatility and defensive prowess makes him a key two-way player in Golden State's system. Also, it just so happens that Thompson, like Durant, will hit the free agency market when their season comes to a close. Because it is suspected that KD's desire to be great will force him to leave the Warriors, Smith states that multiple league insiders have urged Golden State to put an emphasis on making Thompson feel valuable so he isn't inclined to part ways with the organization. 

"From what I'm told, even individuals like Pat Riley have spoken to folks within the Warriors organization to say, 'your priority had better be keeping the Splash Bros. together,'" Smith disclosed. "Not only had they heard that from Pat Riley... they heard it from Jerry West... they heard it from others."

While Smith prefaced these comments by stating he hasn't talked to Thompson personally, if his sources are correct then the free agency pool has gotten more intricate and interesting. Thompson's previously mentioned attributes helped lift the Warriors to their championship run. And at 29 years old, Thompson still has a lot of productive years left in him. This would make him a key target for teams like the Lakers who have a lot of cap space and need to build around a superstar. Also, the loss of KD and Klay could very well be the end of the Warriors' dynasty.