After 13 seasons together, the famous “Splash Brothers” of the Golden State Warriors have officially disbanded. In early July 2024, Klay Thompson officially joined the Dallas Mavericks and is no longer a compatible player next to Stephen Curry.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, this is a “sign and trade” deal between 3 parties, including Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets. Accordingly, Klay Thompson will join Dallas Mavericks with a 3-year, 50 million contract, Charlotte Hornets will receive Josh Green from Mavericks, while the details of the terms of Golden State Warriors will be announced in the future.
Why did Klay Thompson decide to leave the Golden State Warriors?
Klay Thompson’s departure from the Golden State Warriors has been rumored for a long time, even before the 2024/25 season ended. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, there were no negotiations between Klay Thompson and the team at CHASE Center, even before the NBA transfer market opened in late June 2024.
Klay Thompson has been an irreplaceable pillar of the Golden State Warriors for the past 13 seasons. Together with Stephen Curry, he has become an extremely fearsome 3-point shooter, nicknamed the “Splash Brothers”. Together, the two have won 4 NBA championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
However, Klay Thompson’s relationship with the Golden State Warriors has not been so sweet recently. Two terrible injuries in succession, a torn ACL and a torn Achilles tendon, forced Klay Thompson to sit out from 2019 to 2021. Although he still performed relatively well when he returned and brought home another championship, it is clear that Klay Thompson is no longer at the peak of his form as before the injury. In the 2023/24 season, Klay Thompson even had a reduced role at times, as well as having too many disappointing matches when he could not score any points for himself.
Therefore, the Golden State Warriors are said to be not too keen on keeping Klay Thompson, despite the impact on the legendary “Splash Brothers” brand. They also do not want to give Klay Thompson too much salary, especially when this player received nearly 41 million USD for the last terrible 2023/24 season.
In recent times, Klay Thompson is said to have had negotiations with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. However, the player born in 1990 chose Dallas Mavericks even though this team paid a lower salary, but the tax rate in Dallas city and Texas state is lower than Los Angeles in California.
Not to mention, the Dallas Mavericks are currently the runner-up in the NBA, and have ambitions to reach the throne in the following years. Playing alongside the young Luka Doncic also gives Klay Thompson more excitement in his decision.
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How will Klay Thompson play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at Dallas Mavericks?
With the addition of Klay Thompson, the Dallas Mavericks have been able to greatly improve the team’s 3-point shooting ability. Although he has declined due to injuries and age, Klay Thompson is still one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. He has a 41.3% 3-point shooting success rate, the 6th most 3-point shots of all time, and holds the record for most successful 3-point shots in a game (14 times).
Even after a disappointing 2023/24 season, Klay Thompson shot 38.7% from the 3-point line, far above the NBA average of 35.1%. On pure receiving and 3-point shooting, Klay Thompson’s number was 38.1%.
With Derrick Jones Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. gone, the Dallas Mavericks will need to add three-point shooting. Klay Thompson would be a nice upgrade for both, who have struggled under the pressure of the 2024 NBA Finals.
The prospect of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving making big plays and then passing to Klay Thompson for a score is something many fans envision for the 2024/25 season. However, the Dallas Mavericks will need to rely on Klay Thompson’s consistency, as well as build a defensive lineup to support him, as Klay Thompson is unlikely to be able to defend as well as he did pre-2019.
Golden State Warriors’ Transfers Following Klay Thompson’s Departure
To replace the departure of Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors decided to bring in De’Anthony Melton with a 1-year, $12.8 million contract. He will not be in the starting lineup, but De’Anthony Melton will be a quality 3-point shooter off the bench.
In addition, the Golden State Warriors are also actively looking for a partner to trade Andrew Wiggins. They are also said to be interested in Lauri Markkanen, the Finnish star who played extremely impressively for the Utah Jazz in the 2023/24 season. Previously, the Golden State Warriors also terminated the contract with Chris Paul to free up salary funds.
In the 2024/24 season, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody will likely take on bigger roles after Klay Thompson is no longer with the team at CHASE Center.
