The Warriors announced on Friday that Klay Thompson had finished a “successful” rehab assignment in Santa Cruz; however, head coach Steve Kerr did not rule out Thompson making a third appearance with the G League team.

Both James Wiseman and Thompson were recalled on Wednesday in a procedural move; neither player is likely to make it back onto the court for the Warriors. Thompson has missed the previous thirty months due to tears in his left anterior cruciate ligament and right Achilles tendon. He spent the previous week scrimmaging in Santa Cruz while the team was on the road.

Although Thompson’s first game back has never been officially scheduled by the Warriors, it was previously stated that the group was hopeful he may return as early as the week before Christmas. That won’t happen until January, however, it seems more likely today, according to a story published on Friday by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnawrowski.


The source states that the Warriors are targeting two dates in mid-January: Jan. 9 vs. Cleveland and Jan. 18 vs. Detroit, while Jan. 3 vs. Miami has not been ruled out. The team wants Thompson’s much anticipated return to occur in front of their home fans at Chase Center.

The fact that the Warriors only have two home games in the first half of January, coupled with the difficult task of getting Thompson’s conditioning back up to NBA level after a 30-month layoff—he hasn’t played competitively since tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals—complicates the situation.


“I am uncertain about the precise outcome,” Kerr remarked. “I’m confident that after we return from this trip, I’ll get in my head with Bob (Myers), Klay, and Rick (Celebrini, the director of sports medicine and performance), and we’ll talk about it and see where it stands.”
The earliest target date has reportedly shifted past Golden State’s Christmas Day matchup in Phoenix, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, although it now doesn’t seem likely that Jan. 3 or Dec. 28 against Denver are still possibilities. This information was revealed by ESPN the day before.

The fact that Thompson has spent most of his time in Santa Cruz on the Warriors’ last two road trips increases the likelihood of another trip there as the schedule is extended.

When asked if Thompson could visit Santa Cruz again before the game on Friday, Kerr responded, “Sure, if we deem that to be the best place for him to scrimmage in.”