Klay Thompson Is Missing Piece for Luka Dončić, Title-Ready Mavericks Amid NBA Rumors
The Dallas Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals this past season after a momentous playoff run that saw them take down the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, and the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves.
Things may not have gone the way the team wanted, defeated in five games by the champion Boston Celtics, but the organization appears ready to add pieces to the puzzle in hopes of returning to the dance again next season while simultaneously maximizing the prime of star Luka Dončić.
Marc Stein reported there is "strong mutual interest" between the team and unrestricted free agent Klay Thompson.
Thompson is not the defender he once was but he is still above average and brings his experience on that side of the ball to a Mavericks team that ranked sixth in defense in the regular season and second in the playoffs.
The future Hall of Famer would also beef up the team's shooting from beyond the arc.
In 2023-24, the Mavericks averaged 36.9 percent from three-point range. Thompson, one of the best shooters of his generation, finished what was considered a "down" season with 38.7 percent.
He may not be the player he was at the height of the Warrior's dynastic success, but Thompson still has plenty to offer a team that wants to upgrade its shooting and add quality defense.
Thompson averaged 17.8 points a game in 29.7 minutes a game, His 43.2 percent from the paint was on par with his previous three seasons, suggesting that rumors of his demise as an effective player in the league were premature.
Adding him to a team that already has Dončić and Kyrie Irving, one series victory away from the Larry O'Brien Trophy, would provide the Mavs a boost on both sides of the ball and more importantly, introduce to the locker room a player who has four NBA titles to his name and the unquenched thirst to add another to his resume.
It is a move that will cost the Mavericks but should provide an upgrade over Tim Hardaway Jr. and strengthen a roster that was already good enough to emerge from a stacked Western Conference.
