Klay Thompson injury is what prompted the Kelly Oubre Jr trade, Steve Kerr reveals

Before the Golden State Warriors could start the 2020-21 season, Klay Thompson suffered an Achilles tear, sidelining him for the entire campaign. While Thompson is expected to make a full recovery, the Warriors had a gap to fill in their roster. With the NBA camp starting on December 1, the team finalised a trade for Kelly Oubre Jr, hoping to still make the comeback they have been aiming for. 

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Kelly Oubre Jr trade a result of Thompson's injury

Before Thompson's injury, reports were speculating a possible trade for Oubre. However, head coach Steve Kerr cleared all confusion, explaining that Thompson's unexpected injury eventually made them finalize the trade. NBC Sports reported that the Warriors used their Trade Player Exception (TPE) to sign Oubre.

TPE allows a team to get any player they want, provided they are making $17.2 million or less for the 2020-21 season. As Oubre is set to make $14.37 million, Golden State could bring him on board. The tax penalties, however, imply that the Warriors will have to shell out $82 million. 

“It 100% triggered the Oubre trade,” Kerr said while in conversation with Bay Area News Group’s Wes Goldberg. He added that if Thompson was healthy, they might not have needed to use the TPE at all. "It was more likely that we would have used the mid-level exception, maybe split it up. That’s what we were talking about anyway".

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Oubre himself was upset after the trade, even taking a shot at Suns owner Robert Sarver. He favoured Warriors owner Joe Lacob in the conversation, candidly speaking about playing for someone who "actually cares about the organization". Sarver, per Oubre, is simply worried about the "perception of the organization on the media end of it". 

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(Image credits: AP)