The Dallas Mavericks are already looking toward the future as a franchise, aiming to capitalize on the present alongside Cooper Flagg and the return of Kyrie Irving. However, the player on the verge of an exit is Klay Thompson, who reportedly desires to join the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming NBA season.
Yet, Thompson’s departure would not solve everything for the Mavericks. The Stein Line’s Marc Stein noted that with the trade for Zaccharie Risacher and the three-year, $52.2 million contract extension for Naji Marshall, Thompson could be the odd man out amid the team’s congestion.
“(Cooper) Flagg. Risacher. Marshall. (PJ) Washington. Max Christie (who also became extension-eligible this summer). Thompson. Tarik Biberovic. Caleb Martin. Those are the eight swingmen currently on Dallas’ roster,” wrote Stein on his Substack.
“Even if Thompson ultimately moves on this offseason, either via trade or buyout, that’s quite a logjam for first-year coach Dusty May, who also has five big men to find minutes for: (Daniel) Gafford, Derek Lively II, Moussa Cisse, recently acquired Santi Aldama, and first-round pick Morez Johnson Jr.”
Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks.
Klay still a key piece
Thompson, who is also being linked to the Miami Heat, is clearly not the same player following major injuries, but he remains a serviceable guard off the bench who can catch fire at any given moment.
However, with the Mavericks last season, the four-time champion and five-time All-Star averaged career-lows of 11.7 points, 39.3% shooting, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 21.7 minutes. It is possible, however, that he could get more opportunities under May than he did under Jason Kidd, who coached Thompson for two seasons.
The Lakers’ interest
Thompson’s numbers shift when analyzing the games he played alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas. In the 21 NBA games he actually played alongside Doncic before the trade, Thompson averaged 14.9 points on 40.6 percent shooting from three—a sample size that has fueled belief the fit could still work in Los Angeles.
That could be one of the main reasons the Lakers remain so interested, as the franchise knows the space Doncic can create for an elite shooter like Thompson to capitalize on.
