After reaching the NBA Finals and losing the series to the Celtics back in June, the Mavericks surprised the NBA world with one of the hottest trades of the summer. After 13-long seasons in Golden State, Klay Thompson decided to change his luck and try something new in Dallas, as he’s convinced this team has something “special.”
As for the Texan franchise, they hope the four-time champion is the missing ingredient to push them towards their first NBA title in a decade. The sharpshooter is already setting into his new life in Dallas as the new campaign approaches, and he recently sat down with insider Grant Afseth to share his excitement.
“I’m excited; it’s a whole new chapter of my career that has the potential to be really special,” Thompson expressed. “The team was so close last year—three wins away from a championship—so I know we have the ingredients for success.”
Klay Thompson Speaks on New Chapter in Dallas: ‘Building Something Special’ https://t.co/qIMHkNKXlX
— Athlon Sports (@AthlonSports) September 18, 2024
The player then revealed that he already has feelings for the city. “We just have to stay together and build week by week,” Klay added. “I know we can do something special, and that’s why I’m here early, just to get a feel for the city and the lay of the land. And I’m having fun while doing it.”
Even for Mark Jackson, who was the coach that drafted Thompson to the Warriors back in 2011, understands the NBA is a business. “I think in an ideal world, Klay Thompson finishes his career with the Golden State Warriors. But you know how this business is,” he said recently.
“The loyalty only works one way, and that’s not a knock on the Warriors—that’s just the way the sports world is,” Jackson continued. “Everybody doesn’t get to sign a deal at the end like Derek Jeter. Truth be told, you look back, and they probably should have let him go as great as he was.”
Interestingly enough, Mavs owner Mark Cuban guaranteed that they expect to utilize his talents differently than how they used him in Golden State. “Obviously, the big addition for us was Klay,” he explained. “He’s someone you have to guard closely because he’s going to knock down 40% of his shots. At Golden State, he was always running around and coming off screens. That’s not really our style.”
The Dallas coach recently revealed that Kyrie Irving was crucial to convince the four-time champion to sign for the Mavericks this summer
Klay Thompson’s departure from the Golden State franchise, in which he played for 13-long season and earned four NBA titles, was not an easy decision. However, recent reports have surfaced the basketball world and shed light on what convinced the veteran shooter to change his destination for Dallas this upcoming campaign.
According to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, his pupil Kyrie Irving was instrumental in the Warriors icon signing a three-year, $50 million deal in Texas. In a recent interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dubs Talk, the former player opened up about this recruitment process and talked about everyone involved in it.
“When it comes to recruitment, a lot of people were part of the process,” he shared. “But one of the biggest factors was Kai [Irving]. Kai was able to connect with Klay, player to player, and share his experience of what it’s been like in Dallas over the past two years. He gave Klay an honest assessment of what he thinks could happen with him on board.”
One thing for sure was that Kidd did not feel comfortable taking in all the credit. “I’d love to say it was all me, but it wasn’t. It was a team effort. But in this league, player-to-player recruitment is huge. This was all about Kai and Klay being able to have that conversation,” the tactician confessed.
