There’s a new sharpshooting combo in the Bay Area.
The Golden State Warriors said goodbye to the Splash Brothers era this week, as Klay Thompson boarded his boat and cruised out of the Bay Area to land with the Dallas Mavericks.
Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy didn’t wait long to fill in the shooting void left by Thompson’s departure, as the Warriors acquired sharpshooter Buddy Hield on Thursday in a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Splash Brothers—Curry and Thompson—forever changed the way NBA basketball is played by unleashing an unprecedented volume of shots beyond the perimeter over their decade-plus together. Entering the 2024-25 season, Curry is the all-time leader in NBA history in three-point makes with 3,747, while Thompson ranks sixth with 2,481.
Shortly after the Warriors acquired Hield on Thursday, NBA fans tried out a new nickname for Curry and his new backcourtmate—the Splash Buddies.
The Splash Buddies. pic.twitter.com/LVoVgD5boq
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 4, 2024
New Duo in the Bay. What nick name you giving them? I been seeing Splash Buddies lmao.#dubnation pic.twitter.com/CbpGVn9SHN
— chano (@chanodesigns) July 4, 2024
Splash buddies. I like the move. Now we need one more. #dubnation https://t.co/tBMgzjjA8k
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) July 4, 2024
I am on board with Splash Buddies. #DubNation 😆 https://t.co/4nXYL2EVfR
— Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. (@DrNiravPandya) July 4, 2024
they’re the Splash Buddies now https://t.co/HRZJGYb1Hg
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) July 3, 2024
Splash buddies pic.twitter.com/kDg1PMLCyB
— Hamza | Free🇵🇸 (@30dacloser) July 4, 2024
Hield doesn’t boast quite the amount of career accolades as Thompson, but he can still shoot the basketball. Over eight seasons, Hield has drained 1,924 three-pointers on a 40% clip. In 2023-24, Hield shot 38.6% from deep while appearing in a league-high 84 games for the Indiana Pacers and 76ers.
Watching the Warriors without Thompson on the floor next season will take some getting used to. But Curry will still have a teammate splashing triples alongside him in the 31-year-old Hield.
