Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group hears that rookie shooting guard Klay Thompson is one player that the Warriors do not want to part with unless he's included in a deal for Dwight Howard. (Twitter link)
Highly touted for his shooting ability coming out of college, Thompson is averaging 7.8 PPG while shooting 45% from the field and an excellent 46% from three-point range in 17 minutes off of the bench. Should Monta Ellis be dealt at the deadline, Mark Jackson could then slide Klay into the starting lineup and give him in a larger role in his rotation. In a season-high of 27 minutes played on Wednesday against the Grizzlies, Thompson scored 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Two nights earlier, Thompson poured in 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting and 4-for-5 from range in 20 minutes during a win against the Wizards.
We wrote earlier that the Warriors are making a play for Bucks center Andrew Bogut, and having Thompson could make Ellis all the more expendable.