Whether the grass is greener on the other side or not is something we don’t truly know until we go looking. And when Klay Thompson opted to leave the Golden State Warriors to join the Dallas Mavericks after 11 seasons in the Bay area, greener grass is exactly what he was hoping to find.
“A new change of scenery can do wonders,” Thompson said at his introductory press conference with the Mavericks on Tuesday. “I’m very grateful for my time (with) Golden State, but I just felt like moving on could re-energize me and do something special for the rest of my career.”
The former 11th-overall pick in 2011 had spent his entire NBA career with the Warriors, earning five All-Star nods and capturing four championships. His name is all over the franchise’s leaderboards, fourth in games played (793) for Golden State all-time, sixth in points (15,531) and second for made threes (2,481) — behind only fellow “Splash Brother” Steph Curry.
Having accomplished all that with the Warriors still wasn’t enough to dismiss the fact that the 34-year-old felt as though he was the odd man out at times last season.
In 2023-24, Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game, the lowest since his sophomore season, on 38.7 per cent shooting from distance. And aside from playing the third-fewest minutes per game (29.7) in his career through 77 appearances, being relegated out of his starting role appeared to be a noticeable point of contention.
Thompson came off the bench 14 times last season, his first appearances as a non-starter since his rookie campaign.
“Sometimes breakups are necessary to do what’s right,” the two-time All-NBA selection said. “I look forward to being rejuvenated (in Dallas) … (with) a lot of good basketball left in the tank.”
And after it appeared the Warriors and Thompson couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract this off-season, he ended up joining the Mavericks via sign-and-trade, agreeing on a three-year, $50-million deal to be in Dallas.
It ended up requiring six teams to execute the move, with Golden State getting Buddy Hield (from Philadelphia) and Kyle Anderson (from Minnesota) in return.
After Thompson was introduced to Mavericks fans, he spoke candidly about the challenges felt throughout his final season with the Warriors and the excitement of being in a new environment.
“Coming here is such a fresh start,” Thompson said, when asked if he had lost any of the joy he felt playing basketball last season. “Feeling wanted again, I bring great value, it gets me excited. … There were times last year it was tough, where it wasn’t as joyful as it had been in the past, it’s nice to shed that. … I’m going to embrace the heck out of this opportunity.”
The NBA’s sixth-ranked player for made threes all-time joins Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, fresh off a run to the Finals. The Mavericks finished the regular season at 50-32, earning the fifth seed in the West before becoming conference champions.
After losing to the Boston Celtics in five games, Dallas made it clear it wasn’t satisfied and revamped around the margins. Aside from adding Thompson, the Mavericks also acquired Quentin Grimes via trade and signed Naji Marshall in free agency.
Thompson and Irving have plenty of familiarity with each other, but this will be the first time they’ll be sharing the court instead of going head-to-head. They previously faced off in three consecutive NBA Finals (2015-17) between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I’ve known (Kyrie) for a long time,” Thompson said. “For him to come here and embrace the city … it inspired me because they were so close to winning the whole thing and I think we can help them get over the hump.
“That’s what’s so attractive to me, being someone who can help them win … being on the back end of my career … I think we’re set up for a great run. Expectations are high, but you welcome it. … I just want to win at this point.”
