Five-time All-Star Klay Thompson is a legend and forever tied to the Golden State Warriors championship dynasty.
Last season, however, things went south for Thompson and the Warriors. The team struggled, losses mounted, and they missed the playoffs. In July, Thompson moved to the Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade deal. The Mavericks gave him a three-year contract worth $50 million.
Mixed Reactions to the Trade:
The trade received praise from many sources. For example, Bleacher Report rated it an "A" for the Mavericks, while The Athletic gave it a B+. Despite this acclaim, there are reasons to question if this move will benefit Dallas.
Golden State’s Decision:
After the 2023-24 season ended, Golden State seemed ready to part ways with Thompson. They planned to reduce his role significantly if he stayed. "[T]he Warriors planned to bring Thompson off the bench behind sophomore guard Brandin Podziemski," reported Yahoo’s Jake Fischer.
Decline in Performance:
Thompson’s defense has taken a hit due to two severe leg injuries. Once known for his defensive prowess (he made the 2018-19 All-Defensive Team), he now struggles with agility and quickness. By seasonโs end, stats showed that opponents shot 40.4% on corner threes and 36% on above-the-break threes against him.
His offense didn’t fare much better either. Outside of playing only 32 games in 2021-22, last season saw him shoot his worst percentage from beyond the arc at just 38.7%. Moreover, drives to the rim were almost nonexistent; only 5.1% of his shots came from zero to three feet out.
Fans feel like Thompson might not be able to bounce back easily.
In fact, during the last season with Golden State, they were 7.6 points worse per 100 possessions when he was on the court.
Skepticism About His Fit in Dallas:
Despite positive narratives around his move to Dallas, skepticism remains high regarding how well he’ll fit in with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving drawing attention away from him on offense. Last yearโs stats show that even when wide open (no defender within six feet), he shot just 37.9% on three-pointers, ranking him 137th out of 210 players who attempted at least two shots per game under those conditions.
On defense? It could get messy
Doncic and Irving have shown some improvement defensively but aren’t exactly lockdown defenders themselves; thus leaving room for concern about guarding elite scorers like LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard effectively without strong wing defendersโsomething past-prime-Thompson may struggle doing consistently anymore.
Maybe moving cities will give him new life; fresh coach & teammates might help rejuvenate things… but letโs not hold our breath too longโthereโs more likelihood that next season wonโt be much different than last yearโs struggles!
