Klay Thompson on Kevin Durant Arrival: "I'm Not Sacrificing [Expletive]"

As the smoke clears on the bombshell news of Kevin Durant joining the Warriors, the obvious question emerged about how adding Durant to a team with prolific shooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will cope with the fact that there’s just one basketball.

In an interview with The Vertical’s Shams Charania, Thompson said that he’s been hearing about how he will have to give up shots “on every stop” of Team USA’s tour, and sounded taken aback by the suggestion that he would have to sacrifice his game for the greater good:

" When Thompson looks back on his visit to Durant in the Hamptons before Fourth of July weekend, a clear message resonated: Every championship roster has players sacrificing. Their individual games didn’t. “I feel kind of disrespected that people keep using the term sacrifice to describe me and describe us,” Thompson told The Vertical. “We all want to see each other do well. But I’m not sacrificing [expletive], because my game isn’t changing. I’m still going to try to get buckets, hit shots, come off screens. I want to win and have a fun time every game we play. "

For now, Durant is saying the right things:

" “We want Klay to stay Klay,” Durant told The Vertical. “We don’t want him to change. The games dictate where the shots come from. I may shoot 12 shots one night; Klay may shoot eight or nine shots one night, and Steph may shoot 25 shots one night. And it could be a different flow another night.” "

In all likelihood, Golden State won’t face true adversity until deep in next season’s playoffs, at the earliest. At that juncture, it will be interesting to observe the shooting dynamics, especially if there are tougher moments.