“[Klay] typically arrived at the training center after leaving his boat,” said Curry. “In his Dockers, whatever he was wearing. He had a special presence, a lightness when he walked into the room. And his witty comments were always great… [I’m] talking about him as if he had died, which is super weird.

“You develop that chemistry over many years and battles,” said Curry. “Under the brightest playoff and championship lights, we gained that level of chemistry and expectation that, if we were there, if we were healthy, we had a chance to beat anyone. It’s a great feeling every time we stepped onto the court. In the league’s history, it’s very rare to have a core trio stay together for so long. The Spurs [the Duncan, Ginóbili, and Parker trio] might be up there, but just thinking about the iconic nature of that trio, what we achieved. We wanted to keep it together… forever.”

Draymond Green

“Life throws many curves in sports. You’re used to seeing people change places and teams. [However], until a week before he decided to sign with Dallas, we really never thought this would end.” “Wow!” said Green. “When I walked out of this locker room, [that locker] belonged to Klay Thompson. And then it wasn’t. It belonged to those guys. That’s when I thought, ‘Oh, shit, this is real.’

“For us, it’s when you enter the game,” said Green. “It’s when you hear the starting lineup, and before Steph, Klay’s name used to be called. And suddenly, you hear another name.”

“Luckily for us, we had some practice when we were injured,” said Green. “It won’t be the first time.”

Steve Kerr

“One of the reasons we are excited to have Buddy Hield is because we will run some of the same plays we ran for Klay, but for Buddy,” Kerr told ESPN. “Draymond and Steph will look for him on the perimeter when they play with him. And the other newcomers, Melton, Kyle Anderson, there’s a reason we also selected them. They fit in any lineup, are smart and tough players, easy to play with. So I don’t anticipate a really difficult transition in terms of basketball. It’s more the emotional void of Klay not being there anymore, after being so close to him and going through so much together. That part is really sad. But you have to move on.”

Mike Dunleavy

“We’re trying to make it as normal as possible and not overthink it, not dwell on it too much,” Dunleavy told ESPN. “I think everyone will adapt, move forward, and have a good year. And the same goes for Klay.”