National Basketball Association

Klay Thompson on Warriors adding Kevin Durant: 'I'm not sacrificing [expletive]'

Published Aug. 1, 2016 9:30 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

With Kevin Durant coming to town, the only question for the Golden State Warriors is how to divvy up the possessions.

Okay, that might be a little extreme. As the Warriors learned last season, you still have to play the games before you can claim the championship. Still, next season's Golden State squad is going to be an absolute basketball force. That much is certain.

But Klay Thompson wants to make one thing clear -- although there's only one basketball to share, the Warriors' various stars won't sacrifice anything on offense.

Via Yahoo.com:

Thompson has previously referenced Manu Ginobili when talking about having to sacrifice touches for the greater good. Like Ginobili, who famously came off the bench for 574 of his 923 career regular-season games, the Warriors guard says that he cares more about winning than his individual accolades.

However, the context here is a little different. While Thompson clearly doesn't mind making such a sacrifice, he's heard the question so many times that he wants to set the record straight. According to Thompson, there's no need to sacrifice, since Golden State's stars have such dynamic skill sets.

Kevin Durant flashes the NASTY euro-step into the SLAM for two on @NBATV! #USABMNT #RapidReplay https://t.co/gDBJpp95Dv
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 2, 2016

From an Xs-and-Os perspective, he's absolutely right. Few, if any, NBA superteams have fit together as well as the 2016-17 Warriors squad. Take LeBron's Miami Heat, for example. Dwyane Wade and James had to figure out how to work as a unit, since their skills overlapped. Both stars needed the ball in their hands to be most effective. While Chris Bosh was a perfect complement in the frontcourt, it took some time for LeBron and D-Wade to get the hang of things.

For the most part, that won't be an issue for the Warriors. KD, Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green can all thrive off the ball, and the Golden State offense should create plenty of open looks for everyone. That's the plan, Thompson said.

I'm guessing Thompson means something other than "setting a record for most wins in a regular season before becoming the first team in NBA history to lose in the NBA Finals after taking a 3-1 series lead." Technically, that was historic, too.