Klay Thompson is looking good with Mavericks.
Klay Thompson, one of the NBA’s greatest sharpshooters, made waves in the offseason by swapping his Golden State Warriors jersey for a Dallas Mavericks uniform, shaking up the league.
After 13 seasons anchoring the Warriors’ dynasty, 34-year-old Klay Thompson entered free agency. This led to a complicated six-team sign-and-trade deal featuring the Mavericks, 76ers, Hornets, Nuggets, and Timberwolves.
Despite his deep family connections to the Lakers—where his father reportedly encouraged him to return to his childhood favorite team—Klay Thompson ultimately chose Dallas over Los Angeles.
Klay Thompson getting his reps in with the Mavericks
In a recent video from the Dallas Mavericks social media, Klay Thompson can be seen training his shooting and dribble moves that could surely excite Mavericks fans.
Thompson has faced significant challenges in recent years, enduring consecutive ACL and Achilles tears that sidelined him from 2019 to 2022. Although he helped secure a championship shortly after his return from these career-threatening injuries, his decline became evident in the seasons that followed, coinciding with the Warriors’ struggles to meet expectations.
Though no longer at his peak, the five-time All-Star had a solid season, averaging 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 43.2% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc over 77 games.
Those are still impressive stats for a role player and respectable for a third option, but Klay Thompson continued to see himself as Stephen Curry’s co-star. This mindset made it difficult for him to adjust to his diminished role after losing his starting position.
Rather than carrying the weight of his struggles with the Warriors, Thompson opted for a fresh start with the Mavericks, where he’ll step into a clear third option role behind last season’s scoring leader Luka Doncic and the unpredictable Kyrie Irving.
A change of scenery with Dallas
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
During his introductory press conference with the Mavericks, Klay emphasized that his desire for a change of scenery motivated the move, leaving him feeling re-energized and ready for a new chapter.
“I just felt like you know moving on could just re-energize me and do something special for the rest of my career and Dallas was so attractive because of the young players they have, the style of play, the you know world-class treatment these players get from this organization and just a beautiful city who loves their hoops,” said the new member of the Mavericks.
There’s a palpable excitement surrounding the reigning Western Conference champions this summer as Thompson joins forces with Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving.
The Mavericks may face defensive challenges with a starting five that includes Doncic, Irving, and Thompson. Doncic will need to enhance his defensive efforts against power forwards, leveraging his robust 6’7″ frame to become a more formidable presence rather than relying solely on his perimeter skills.
While Kyrie and Klay might not be consistently strong defenders, they will need to elevate their performance enough to balance the team’s overall defensive strategy.
Thompson, selected as the 11th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft from Washington State, dedicated all 13 seasons of his career to the Golden State Warriors. Over 793 games, he averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, shooting 45.3% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc.
A four-time NBA champion, he has also played in 158 playoff games.
