Mavericks can't ignore the perfect Klay Thompson trade opportunity this season

Fans of the Dallas Mavericks have been blessed to see some of the best signings or trades in recent history. Fans were stoked about the fact that Kyrie Irving fell into the hands of the Mavs, but it made sense. Klay Thompson, one of the best shooters in the NBA, found his way to Dallas after it felt like he fell off a bit with Golden State. Dallas was the perfect fit to go for that fifth championship, and he's arguably closer than Stephen Curry to doing just that.

But with a team filled with established rookies and veterans, including the Mavs' social media team taking photos of Irving, Anthony Davis, and Cooper Flagg at Media Day, it's pretty clear who fans are expecting to see as their next big three. Thompson, who's a seasoned veteran, might start to creep out of that picture, and that could be why the Mavericks might be destined to trade him sooner than later.

Thompson, at this stage of his career, can be a heater who can go off at any moment and score in bunches from downtown. It wouldn't be surprising to see him coming off the bench to start this season. After all, the Mavs have Cooper Flagg, who's a natural on the wing. It's also a case of where the big man logjam might come back to bite Thompson entirely if they decide to roll with a huge lineup.

Mavericks trading Klay Thompson could be a win-win scenario

Moving on from Thompson could work if Dallas is struggling at the trade deadline. If not, there might not be much of a reason to change the script. However, teams that are struggling will look to blow up Nico Harrison's phone to trade for Thompson. Teams are always looking for that so-called missing piece, and Thompson might just be that for some teams thanks to his scorching-hot 3-point shooting and elite floor spacing.

A Thompson trade could come with some controversy, too. Thompson could be a valuable piece in Flagg's development, as Thompson quickly became one of the more consistent shooters in the game when he entered the league. There's not much to question when it comes to Flagg's shooting, but Thompson's leadership and experience could help turn Flagg into an unstoppable player.

The four-time champion seems to have also bought in fully to Mavs culture, as P.J. Washington revealed Thompson requested that the team play highlights from the 2011 team to see what the champs had to endure that season. The Mavs had to go through LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade on their way to win the 2011 NBA Finals. This shows that he's all in, and it might just be difficult for Harrison to trade him.

But as Mavs fans remember well, if Harrison can trade Doncic, nobody is safe. The point is: Thompson could become a great trade asset to get another player who's younger and can build with Cooper Flagg. Quentin Grimes looked to be that guy, but of course, he was traded, too.

This wasn't the vision that Thompson had in mind when he first signed with Dallas last summer. He expected to build an empire with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Instead, he still has Irving, along with Davis and Flagg, to look forward to. Either way, it could be a win-win scenario for Dallas when trade talks start to heat up to move on from Thompson ahead of the final year of his contract next season.