Klay Thompson expected to hit free agency, end long Warriors tenure

One of the key pieces of the Warriors’ dynasty is likely hitting the open market.Golden State is “preparing” for Klay Thompson to leave the team in free agency, The Athletic reported Saturday afternoon.

Per the outlet, Golden State — which has not had communication with him over the last two weeks — is open to a sign-and-trade with Thompson, who just finished out his five-year $189.9 million contract.The Athletic reported that the Lakers, Clippers and Mavericks are expected to be strongly in the mix for the five-time NBA All-Star.NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Warriors are prioritizing Paul George as a target after he opted out of his Clippers player option Saturday.

All of this comes after Thompson — who has won four NBA Finals with the Warriors — unfollowed the team on his Instagram and removed a large chunk of Golden State-related posts on the platform....