Report: Klay Thompson Joins Dallas Mavericks on 3-year Deal

The Dallas Mavericks didn't like how their season ended, apparently.

Even though the team made it to the NBA Finals, they were handled pretty quickly by the Boston Celtics. The team took Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving into that matchup, and could not overcome the Celtics. So more firepower was needed.

They found that firepower today as they acquired 4-time NBA Champion Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors.

The deal is a "sign-and-trade", which has become a staple of the NBA Salary Cap era. The concept is that Klay Thompson will sign a contract with the Golden State Warriors, and that agreement will immediately be traded to Dallas. The Warriors will receive multiple draft picks in exchange for Thompson.

Over the course of Thompson's career, which has all been with Golden State, he's averaged 19.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game. He's coming into Dallas to serve as a veteran leader, and scoring option.

While with Golden State, Thompson made 5 All Star teams, was named to the All Rookie First Team, All Defensive Second Team, was a 2-time All NBA Second Team member, and won the 2016 Three Point Contest. Thompson is also the owner of an Olympic Gold Medal. He won that in the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, alongside Kyrie Irving, his new teammate in Dallas.

Coming into the league in 2011, he was the 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft. He became an immediate contributor for the Warriors, putting up 12.5 points per game in his rookie season. That number would steadily rise every season, getting all the way up to 22.3 points per game in 2016-2017, his highest scoring single season.

Thompson has also dealt with injuries during his career. A knee injury and an Achilles injury cost Thompson two seasons; between 2019 and 2021.

Now, Thompson is paired with Doncic and Irving in Dallas, creating a "big 3" for the Mavericks.