Klay Thompson trade gives Warriors blueprint to another heart-breaking move

It's nearly 12 months ago that the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson made the decision to part ways, with the franchise legend signing a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks.

It was a tough period for the Warriors, yet one they actively ensured didn't go to complete waste. Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office smartly turned Thompson's departure into a six-team sign-and-trade, acquiring two rotation pieces in Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson on mid-tier contracts.

Anderson wasn't overly impactful but was used as key salary in the February trade for Jimmy Butler, while Golden State arguably wouldn't have made the second-round of the playoffs without Hield's heroics in the do-or-die Game 7 of the first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

Klay Thompson trade provides a blueprint for the Warriors

While they may not hold the same stature as Thompson, veteran duo Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II are also beloved champions who the Warriors will need to make decisions on as free agents this offseason.

As limited role players over the past 18 months, Golden State may need to move on from Looney and Payton to upgrade the roster. Perhaps one or both come back on veteran minimum contracts, but the front office needs to be open-minded about what they could do in the coming weeks.

If one or both of Looney and Payton were to depart, then the Thompson trade provides the blueprint on how the Warriors can make the most out of it. They won't be making anywhere near the contract the veteran sharpshooter got from the Mavericks last offseason, but they could get more than the minimum elsewhere and therefore open up a sign-and-trade scenario.

The limited offensive capabilities of Looney and Payton make them less valuable to a team like the Warriors who need to improve on that end of the floor, but a rival could pursue them if there's a need for more defense. The Los Angeles Lakers, for example, have already been floated as a potential team for Looney with the non taxpayer mid-level exception.

If one of the veteran duo get a $5-6 million offer, is there someone from another team that would make sense for Golden State? This is where canvassing the league will be incredibly important in trying to fill out the final spots on the roster.

Alternatively, the Warriors could re-sign Looney and/or Payton to inflated contracts in order to trade them once eligible. It's what is now being known as a human trade exception, though its influence is perhaps overrated after the Philadelphia 76ers experiment with KJ Martin.

Whether it's in the next month or further down the track, will Dunleavy and the front office be able to spin the heart-break of losing another beloved championship veteran (or two) into a different rotation player? The Thompson situation suggests there's enough creativity where that could be possible.