Klay Thompson injury update: Warriors star says he’d ‘love’ to play this season, but will be ‘very patient’

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been a while since injured Warriors guard Klay Thompson has spoken publicly, but during a press conference about his Washington State jersey retirement in the middle of the Warriors’ 124-97 loss to the Mavericks on Tuesday night, Thompson also briefly addressed his rehab from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s NBA Finals.

Thompson was scheduled to talk to the media before the game, but in true Thompson fashion the conference was delayed until halftime, and it lasted well into the third quarter of the game.

“It’s going great. At least my suits are well-tailored,” Thompson said of his rehab. “It’s fun to watch these guys battle. Obviously I wish I could be out there. It’s been a long process. I mean, I haven’t stopped working since the third day after Game 6 of the 2019 Finals. You might not see me a lot, but, oh, I’m working.”

Thompson said that he’d “love” to play again this season, but is going to exercise caution as not to jeopardize the rest of his career.

“I don’t know what’s gonna come this season. I would love to get out there,” Thompson said. ” … I know it’s a tough part of the season. It’s very rare for me not to be grinding through it with them, but I’m trying to make sure this type of injury never happens to me again, so I’ll be very patient — because I want to play at a high level until I’m in my late 30s.”

Thompson is set to be re-evaluated around the All-Star break in mid-February, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in October that it was unlikely that his sharpshooter would take the court this season. April would be the nine-month mark for his rehab, and if the Warriors were chasing a playoff spot it might conceivably make sense to bring Thompson back, the team’s current state makes it almost impossible to imagine a scenario in which Thompson suits up this season.

Instead Golden State can look toward 2020-21, when they’ll hopefully have their core of Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green back fully healthy, with D’Anglo Russell, a high lottery pick and/or assets picked up in a trade for one or both of them.