Four-time NBA Champion Klay Thompson leaves the Golden State dynasty he helped establish, to another team with two bonafide stars looking to build one of their own.
Luka Doncic would have undoubtedly won Finals MVP if the Mavericks had pushed the series further, but the irony of playing with Kyrie Irving, the man who hit the shot to dethrone the Warriors in 2016 should not be lost on anyone.
Remember, Thompson was originally guarding Irving, when a pick-and-roll caused Steph Curry to switch onto the much more elusive shooter. A few seconds later, Golden State was down three points to Cleveland, and would hand the city their first sports championship in 52 years.
After the Warriors were back on top in 2017, Irving requested a trade, ultimately heading to Boston. Cleveland would make another trip to the NBA Finals, again being bested by Golden State.
Thompson, 34, ends a 13-year run alongside Curry as being on the Mount Rushmore of NBA backcourts. No duo accounted for more three point shots made at any point in history than the “Splash Brothers,” even with Thompson missing nearly 18 months with a torn ACL suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto.
As part of a three-team sign and trade confirmed on Tuesday morning, Dallas sends G/F Josh Green to Charlotte, and two second round picks to Golden State. Reportedly Thompson was offered a two-year, $48 million contract offer to remain in the Bay Area last summer, which was far less than what Draymond Green signed to remain. To make matters worse, Jordan Poole signed a four-year, $128 million deal to eventually be Thompson’s replacement.
Thompson found his way out of the starting lineup, going through a few spells of inconsistency, while Golden State was eliminated in the first round of the Play-In tournament by Sacramento. This would be the first time since 2021 that the Warriors did not make the full postseason tournament, as they lost both games in the Play In.
Thompson is reported to sign a three-year, $50 million contract to join Doncic and Irving as the next “Big Three” in the Western Conference. While this may end up being Thompson’s last major contract in the NBA as a future Hall of Famer, one more weapon for a team that dominated Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals goes a long way towards repeating next June.
The question then shifts to not whether Thompson brings value to a Mavericks team capable of duplicating the same success next season, but what level of success he can contribute. Is Thompson going to be Tom Brady or Matthew Tkachuk continuing their dominance after changing teams, winning a championship not long after being acquired? Or will he be Michael Jordan or Joe Montana tainting the end of their careers in a way that ends up making their trading card worthless those final years?
Thompson is a career 45.3-percent from long distance, and has the sixth-most made three pointers in league history. Averaging nearly 20 points per game (19.6), and shooting 85.6-percent from the free throw line indicates the points will come. Yet he does not rebound (3.5 per game) or distribute (2.3 assists per game). Irving does both (6 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game).
Dallas has potentially the most talented backcourt in league history, yet either Doncic or Thompson will have to shift to small forward, even when the Mavericks play smaller next season.
Thompson’s father Mychal played four seasons with the legendary “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers, winning two NBA Championships. The elder Thompson expressed displeasure that Klay did not sign with his dad’s team to finish his career. From Klay Thompson’s perspective, $50 million goes a lot further in Texas than California, and the Lakers are no closer to getting that fifth ring than Bronnie James keeping the franchise relevant when his father LeBron likely retires after next season.
Every “Big Three” you have seen created in the NBA over the past two decades had a veteran brought in as the anchor. Ray Allen fit the mold in Boston, while Kevin Love was the final piece in Cleveland. Take note that I mentioned the word “created,” since Boston’s trio in the mid-80’s were homegrown, as was the group in San Antonio at the turn of the century.
The advantage that Dallas has in their incarnation is Doncic being so young and established in being paired with two veterans. Miami’s trio is fundamentally all in the Hall of Fame, just awaiting James’ retirement. The Mavericks hope this does not turn out like the first season with James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade, that failed in the Finals, much to the delight of every NBA fan outside of south Florida.
-JC24
-JC24