According to Shams Charania of the Athletic, Klay Thompson’s decision to join the Dallas Mavericks was highly influenced by the promise of a starting role and heavy minutes.
Charania appeared on the OG’s Show, a podcast hosted by Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, on July 30th.
“He will be the guaranteed starter there,” Charnia said. “He’s going to be guaranteed whatever it is, 28-30 plus minutes a night. I think that was very important for Klay, playing the minutes he wants to play.”
“He will be the guaranteed starter there. He’s going to be guaranteed whatever it is, 28-30 plus minutes a night. I think that was very important for Klay, playing the minutes he wants to play.”
Thompson agreed to a 3 year. $50 million deal with Dallas near the start of free agency. The deal eventually evolved in to a six-team sign-and-trade, with the Mavericks sending Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets.
After 951 combined regular season and playoff games with the Golden State Warriors, Thompson comes to the Dallas Mavericks with something to prove. After missing the 2019-20 season with his ACL injury, suffered in the NBA Finals, and missing the 2020-21 season with a torn Achilles, Thompson grew increasingly frustrated with his role on the Warriors. Despite playing in 77 games in the 2023-24 season (starting 63) where he averaged nearly 30 minutes a game, Thompson seemed destined for a new team when the Warriors were unwilling to meet his extension requirements.
The Warriors loss is the Mavericks gain; Klay Thompson is arguably the most important free agent signing in Dallas history. It’s interesting to consider Thompson’s understanding of his role coming to Dallas when paired with the lofty expectations of a Dallas team that just reached the NBA Finals. Klay’s proved his durability after missing two straight seasons due to injury, playing 69 games in 2022-23 and 77 games in 2023-24. For comparison, Luka Doncic played 66 and 70 games in those two regular seasons.
However, durability isn’t the question here, it’s ability. He’s 34 years old with the two major injuries on his record; at some point that catches up with a player’s athleticism. His defensive ability has clearly suffered and that capacity has always been a major part of Thompson’s appeal as a player. The Mavericks certainly need Klay’s shooting and if he’s able to play within the strong team defensive structure, then him playing 25-30 minutes a game should be no issue. But if he’s not effective, or worse, if he’s detrimental on the defensive end, head coach Jason Kidd has a challenging task ahead of him.
Klay may have been given assurances, but the Mavericks have their sights set on the NBA Finals. Thompson is sure to have a major role in that quest, but guarantees in terms of roles and minutes may mean very little once the reality of the NBA season sets in.
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