Klay Thompson: the quintessential 3-and-D prototype. His three-point marksmanship rivals Ray Allen while his defense is always mentioned in the upper echelon. But he is the fourth option of his team. Odd? Certainly. In any other circumstance, he would be, at the very least, the second option. He was for a time. But now, the Golden State Warriors have changed. They are stronger than ever coming off a title win. So, what is the motivation behind Thompson staying? He really has nothing left to prove on the Warriors.

Back when the Warriors consisted of just the Splash Brothers, Thompson proved to be the perfect counterpart to Stephen Curry. He was always the best second resort. Curry can’t guard someone? Put Thompson on him. Curry can’t get his shot going tonight? Let Thompson shoot it. Curry is out and can’t lead the team? Put Thompson at the helm. He never required special attention. Thompson just did his job. And that’s what eventually won the Golden State Warriors two championships. Thompson simply did his job. So what now? He already proved he could win as a valuable cog in a championship roster, so why should he stay? Exactly.

He shouldn’t stay. I doubt he will. He’s proven all he can behind Curry, Green, and Durant. Now, he should be looking to spread his wings. Where should he go? It’s certainly a fickle question because of the ever-confusing cap but I think I’ve pinned a place he could potentially go to and flourish. The Charlotte Hornets. Let the haters come.

So look, if he wanted to compete in the NBA Finals, sure, there are better options. But not as the main option. Due to the recent influx of stars, there is no finals-worthy team that can have Thompson as their number one player. That is, until you take a closer look at the Charlotte Hornets. They finished with only 36 wins so they must be garbage, right? Especially in the broken East? Nope. And the addition of Dwight Howard this season will launch them into semi-contention if joined by Thompson.

One has to look at this situation objectively. Thompson, a man that averages 42 percent from the three-point line, joins Howard, Kemba Walker, Nicholas Batum, and Malik Monk. Kemba Walker is coming fresh out of the season, averaging 23.2 points per game. He’s essentially a second-star Curry. With Batum and Michael Kidd Gilchrist on the wings, Thompson no longer needs to guard the opponent’s best guards and forwards. From a pure outsider perspective, this is more than perfect for Thompson.

With the recent incident of Kevin Durant on hand, we have a nice visual into a player’s mindset. They are fine with moving teams, although they have emotional value, don’t seem to have the same impact on convincing players to stay. Thompson won everything he could as a fourth wheel Warrior player. It is time for him to move on.