Klay Thompson’s audacious projections for the Mavericks’ inaugural season

Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors have called it quits following one of the most illustrious careers in NBA history. But as they say, one closed door only leads to another, so it’s time to project big things for Thompson’s next Dallas Mavericks season.

At 34 years old, the future Hall of Famer is past his prime, but he still has a lot to offer a competitive team. Despite playing 29.7 minutes per game and scoring 17.9 points per game on 43.2% shooting, Thompson’s performance last season was far below his expectations. That is more than sufficient to make it a competitive third choice in Dallas.

Additionally, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews, Thompson’s slide might have been partially caused by distractions off the court.

According to insiders, Thompson felt belittled when the team declined to extend his contract the summer following its [2021] championship victory.

“The following summer, when Golden State refused to match [Draymond] Green’s four-year, $100 million contract and only discussed two-year contracts in the range of $23 million to $24 million, that feeling only grew stronger.”

The only NBA team the “Splash Brother” ever played for gave him grief in paradise before he finally had the last laugh.

The writers went on, “Once the season began, Thompson did little to hide his feelings, and his actions increasingly became difficult to manage, exasperating even his loyalists in the locker room, sources said.”

“He had multiple tearful meetings with Steve Kerr, the Warriors coach—a significant departure from the times when Kerr called him a ‘zero maintenance’ star.”

It’s reasonable to ask if Thompson’s unhappy contract played a part in a year he would prefer to forget. For the first time since 2013–14, he scored fewer than 20 points per game during the previous campaign.

But the four-time champion ought to be in a better mood now that the Mavericks have given him a fully guaranteed three-year, $50 million contract. Will he purchase more buckets as a result of his income increase?

Last season, Doncic demonstrated just how far he can lead Dallas with assistance. The native Slovenian now has a long history of heroics in the playoffs, and Irving has plenty more in him.

The fact that the two made it through a bloody Western Conference, when teams like the Denver Nuggets were favored to advance to the Finals, says volumes about their perseverance.

The Boston Celtics, who had far more depth last season, should provide them with the extra lift they lacked after adding an experienced sharpshooter with a championship track record. Health will be a factor as always, but Thompson should have a career revival in the Mavericks’ small forward position.

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