Klay Thompson Leaves Warriors For Dallas Mavericks in Sign-and-Trade: Report

After 13 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, guard Klay Thompson has signed elsewhere. Thompson agreed to join the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year deal that is worth $50 million. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal includes a player option.

Thompson heads to the Mavericks after they fell short in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics. He will add shooting to the Dallas offense, something that was lacking during the NBA Finals. Playing alongside Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, Thompson should have plenty of space to move around the floor. This addition for the Mavericks dramatically changes the way teams will have to play them due to the floor spacing of Thompson.

Dallas outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers in the sweepstakes to land Thompson and now will head into next season as potentially the team to beat in the Western Conference. The Mavericks believe he can be the missing piece so they need to get over the hump.

However, NBA insider Chris Haynes has reported that Golden State and Dallas are still working out details in the sign-and-trade deal. He is reporting that a deal is “not close” at this point. Before anything can happen, the two sides will have to agree on a trade.

Throughout the entire process, Thompson and the Warriors tried to make things work but nothing came to fruition. Thompson felt disrespected by Golden State during the negotiation process which led to him walking away from the only team he had ever known in the league. Thompson helped the Warriors win four NBA titles over the last 10 seasons, creating a dynasty in the Bay Area.

The second splash brother to Steph Curry, Thompson leaves a strong legacy in Golden State. He is one of the greatest shooters to ever grace the NBA floor but it was time for a new start. Thompson isn’t the same player that he once was, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But he can still shoot the lights out and stay with larger players on defense.

Last season for the Warriors, Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He also shot 38.7 percent from beyond the three-point line, showing that he could still knock down the long ball at a high mark. Golden State will now scramble to replace the former All-Star but his chemistry with the remaining players is unmatched. We likely will never see a shooting duo like Curry and Thompson again.