It’s officially the end of an era. We knew this day would come. Around noon Pacific Standard Time, Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson were working on a sign-and-trade to send Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks.
Hours later, the deal has been finalized. A multi-team deal will send Josh Green to Charlotte and two second-round picks to GSW.
In 11 years with the Warriors, Thompson helped lead the franchise to 4 NBA Championships. He also appeared in the NBA All-Star game five times. He’s top 10 in nearly every statistical category in Warriors history. Surely, he’ll be a Hall of Famer someday and likely have his number retired by the organization.
Acquiring a player like Klay Thompson is a huge win for the Mavericks in free agency. They’re coming off of a trip to the NBA Finals, in which they got beat 4-1. Now, they’re creating a formidable trio in Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Thompson.
The injuries during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which sidelined Thompson have slowed him down. The 17.9 points per game that he averaged in 2024 was his lowest output since his second year in the league. He isn’t the same defender he once was, posting a 116.1 defensive rating a year ago. However, he still shot 43% from the field, 38% from three and 93% from the free throw line during the 2023-24 campaign. Adding another weapon is exactly what the Mavericks needed to do.
During the NBA Finals, the Celtics were able to keep Irving at bay which led to Doncic not having anyone to pass to. Thompson will change, he’s a sniper from deep and can score at any level. He should create more space for Irving and Doncic.
The move to make the sign-and-trade also prevents the Lakers from getting the long-range sniper. It had been reported that LeBron James was willing to take a pay cut if Thompson were to sign with the Warriors. They’ll now have to look elsewhere to add to their team.
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