The Mavericks' blatant disrespect of Klay Thompson has hit rock bottom

The Dallas Mavericks were about as handicapped as an NBA team can be in their 137-107 Wednesday night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, as Dallas only had eight active players heading into this contest. The Bucks stampeded the Mavericks all evening long, as Giannis Antetokounmpo got to the rim at will and Damian Lillard gunned away from beyond the arc. The Bucks shot 16-35 on 3-pointers in the game, and Dallas simply didn't have the manpower from a defensive perspective to realistically have any sort of chance in this game.

Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams were phenomenal in terms of their ability to get to the rim and convert at an efficient clip when doing so in this game, and the Mavericks will need a lot more from a shot creation perspective from players like that if they want a puncher's chance at making the play-in still.

Dallas will inevitably get some reinforcements back before the season is over, but they are in a precarious position with Kyrie Irving's torn ACL, as the Mavericks clearly won't have enough offensive firepower to make any sort of significant run in the playoffs barring something miraculous. However, the regular season will go on regardless, and it seems unlikely the Mavericks will intentionally tank unless they go on a crazy losing streak here soon.

With that being said, role players aren't the only ones that will be assuming more offensive responsibility with Irving out of the lineup for the rest of the season, as aging star Klay Thompson is bound to assume a greater workload going forward, like fans saw from him in Wednesday's loss to Milwaukee.

This isn't what Klay Thompson signed up for with the Mavericks

Through a mix of dribble-handoff actions, off-ball screens being set for him, as well as increased self creation opportunities, Thompson scored 28 points on 11-27 shooting from the field in the contest. Despite Thompson likely somewhat enjoying being a number one option for once, Thompson is 35 years old and is a four-time NBA Champion, and he clearly didn't come to Dallas to fulfill this type of role.

When Thompson agreed to be signed-and-traded to the Mavericks last summer on a three-year, $50 million contract, the last thing he anticipated was the Mavericks trading their franchise superstar in Luka Doncic midseason. And Thompson certainly didn't think Doncic's former co-star in Irving would subsequently tear his ACL nearly a month later, potentially due in part to the absurd workload he had to burden with Doncic out of the lineup and all of Dallas' injuries.

At Thompson's age as well as the fact that he took less money to come to the Mavericks compared to other free agency suitors this past offseason, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks organization have blatantly disrespected Thompson's decision to come to Dallas this past summer.

Harrison's decision to trade Doncic and the trickle effects that have stemmed from that move have caused this Mavericks season to self-destruct, and the Mavericks are taking for granted that a player of Thompson's pedigree and winning mentality chose to come to Dallas in hopes of winning more championships.

Of course the Mavericks still could somehow win a title over the next season or two if Irving makes a full and speedy recovery from his ACL tear and Anthony Davis still plays at an All-Defensive level as he continues to age over the next few seasons, but those are very uncertain variables that Harrison is now banking on swinging in Dallas' favor.

Harrison and the Mavericks have put Thompson in an extremely unfair position, and while Thompson is a fun-spirited guy who seems bought into winning with Davis and Irving once they return from injury, the Mavericks are clearly wasting his talent considering that Thompson is only getting older with each passing season.

All Thompson and Mavericks fans can hope for in his case this season is that, assuming a greater offensive role in his last 20 games in Dallas, he gets as comfortable as ever in their system. Hopefully he comes into next season firing on all cylinders in an accentuated offensive role compared to the start of this season, as it's unlikely Irving recovers by the start of next season and Thompson's shot creation will be vital for Dallas going forward with no Doncic in the lineup any longer.