Anthony Davis' injury just triggered Klay Thompson's Mavericks exit

Following the Anthony Davis injury to his hand, it all but put an official notice in for the Dallas Mavericks to go all-in on tanking this season and focusing on the draft next summer. With that idea in mind, the Mavericks may not be trading Davis anymore and fully centering themselves around a full rebuild, but trading some of the team's most valuable veterans, like Klay Thompson, may be a safe route.

Thompson has reestablished some of his trade value throughout the season after a rough start, and while the four-time champion may not be the player he once was, his shooting touch could be worth trading for. With the Mavericks likely punting on the rest of the season and Thompson only getting older, Dallas owes the 14-year veteran a shot at winning a championship and staying competitive on another team.

It's unclear what market a player like Thompson might garner, considering his age and declining defensive abilities, but if the Mavericks can acquire any sort of young talent or second-round draft compensation, that could be looked at as an automatic win. Thompson is a player who deserves to play for a team in a win-now mode, and with Davis possibly done for the season, the Mavericks have no reason to try to win games and make a playoff push.

The Mavericks owe it to Klay Thompson to trade him this trade deadline

For a season and a half now, Thompson has been one of Dallas' lone sharpshooters, and while Max Christie has emerged as a possible replacement this season, Thompson still offers a ton of production when he is on the floor. At the age of 35, Thompson is still pouring out 11.2 points per game on 35.8 percent shooting from deep, and while these numbers might not jump off the page for any fans, these stats continue to rise as Thompson gets hotter.

Around the NBA, there are multiple teams in need of a sharpshooting guard of Thompson's skill set, not to mention the championship pedigree he could bring to any locker room. Following the news that Davis could be done for the season, which likely will put an end to any trade conversations the Mavericks had centered around Davis, the team needs to direct its focus on trading a few veteran assets who might garner positive attention on the market.

Thompson may not garner the market and attention that a Naji Marshall or even Daniel Gafford might get, but on a $16 million contract, Thompson is currently on a deal that many teams would look at and salivate over. Acquiring a storied shooter such as Thompson for a low price may be one of the only opportunities a team looking to compete can acquire a shooter during the middle of the season.

Again, the Mavericks need to shift their focus to this season's draft, so if any team is willing to include a draft pick in this year's draft or even a future season, the Mavericks shouldn't hesitate to trade Thompson. It would be a sad sight for fans who have fallen in love with his enforcer mentality when it comes to protecting Cooper Flagg, but with the Mavericks being a non-competitive team in the West, Thompson deserves to be in a place that will embrace winning this season.