One of the greatest themes of the early NBA offseason so far has been guard Klay Thompson’s decision to leave guard Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors and sign with the Dallas Mavericks.

Thompson and Curry were teammates for 13 seasons in the Bay Area, where they won four championships and combined for over 6,100 three-pointers in Warriors uniforms. The two Golden State Warriors veterans had an emotional 15-minute phone discussion earlier this summer when Thompson informed Curry that he was moving on to greater pastures.

“Yeah, it was a rough call,” Curry told The Athletic on Sunday. “When you hear him open up about the whys (of his decision), and how much he valued our friendship and our status as teammates and champions, there are no words that can truly express it. I know it was difficult for him. You just try to be calm on the phone because you don’t want to cry and go through that. There were a few tears. But it’s one of those things where I’m confident I’ll be able to give him that energy when I see him in person.

While Thompson spends the summer adjusting to his new surroundings, Curry will be chasing a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Curry made it clear that, while he will miss his longtime backcourt mate, he understands Thompson’s decision.

“(The phone call) was more about me ensuring that he knew how I felt. I didn’t want him to carry the weight of my belief that he was making a horrible or wrong decision, or anything, because it was his decision,” Curry told The Athletic. “It’s a matter of him feeling like he’s doing the greatest thing for himself and getting the fresh start he needed.

“I just pray it works out, and that he, again, just has fun playing basketball, because he’d had a rough two years.”