Klay Thompson joined Mavericks to contend. After a 56-loss season, what’s next?
DALLAS – When Klay Thompson agreed to come to the Dallas Mavericks in July 2024, he was viewed as the missing piece of a championship puzzle.
Nico Harrison, the Mavericks’ general manager at the time, said that the Mavericks were “a Klay Thompson away” from beating the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. The thinking was that Thompson would spend his mid-30s knocking down wide-open 3s that Luka Dončić served to him on a silver platter.
Thompson only wound up playing 21 games alongside the Slovenian superstar. Their partnership came to an end when Dončić was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that sparked fiery fan backlash and caused the Mavericks to tumble from contenders to one of the worst teams in the NBA.
After Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls – a game the Mavericks won 149-128 to cap a 26-56 season – Thompson was asked if he can see himself back for a third season in Dallas.
“I’m under contract, so I do,” he said. Then, he let out a laugh.
“But I’ve definitely learned in my time in Dallas (that) things can change on a dime,” he added. “So, I’m just here to have a great time and put my best foot forward. That’s the hardest part of being an NBA player. They think they pay you for the records broken or the rings won. But really, they pay you for being able to be traded, being on the road away from your family on a consistent basis, going through injury. And all this stuff the common fan doesn’t see that really makes it difficult.”
Thompson, who starred at Washington State from 2008-2011, missed two full seasons of his career from 2019 to 2021 while he recovered from a torn left ACL and a torn right Achilles. He returned to the floor in January 2021 and played a significant role in the Golden State Warriors winning a fourth championship in eight years in 2022.
When Thompson signed with Dallas in 2024, he viewed it as a chance to chase a fifth ring. But any chance of that happening quickly went out the window. Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of what Dallas got back in the Dončić trade, suffered a left adductor strain in his first game with the Mavericks. Weeks later, Kyrie Irving tore the ACL in his left knee.
The Mavericks fired Harrison 11 games into this season, and in February, they traded Davis to the Washington Wizards. Acutely aware that this is the last year they have full control of their own first-round pick again until 2031, the Mavericks lost 30 of 37 games to close this season.
“I just learned to go with it,” Thompson said. “You can’t be down just because things change. You still have to be a professional. Just because it didn’t work out and we didn’t get back there, I’m still eager to keep playing. All I want is another chance to win. There’s nothing like winning in sports. You see what it does for a city, a fan base. Best feeling ever when you can bring together a community.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd predicted before Sunday’s game that his team will be a part of the postseason next year. The Mavericks, who owe their 2027 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets unless it falls in the top two, have no choice but to try and be as competitive as possible.
Teenage star Cooper Flagg will look to build off an impressive rookie season. Irving will be back, too, after spending all of this season recovering from left knee surgery.
Thompson has one year remaining on his contract. The 36-year-old began coming off the bench this season but proved he’s still plenty productive. The 202 3-pointers he made were the most on the Mavericks’ roster.
The job Thompson signed up to do in Dallas has changed completely. The disappointment of the Dončić trade hasn’t dulled Thompson’s desire to win, though.
“(Warriors coach) Steve Kerr used to tell me that,” Thompson said. “We don’t get paid because it’s fun. You get paid because it’s really hard and you have to deal with those obstacles that come at you.”