Mavericks must make this 'realistic' Klay Thompson trade before it's too late

When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade in July 2024, it seemed like a perfect fit for a team recovering from an NBA Finals loss and looking to add more shooting.

Last season, Thompson had a tough season given the circumstances with the Mavericks, as they traded Luka Doncic. He created tons of open looks for Thompson, and this duo barely got to play together before Doncic was traded to Los Angeles. This season was supposed to be a better second season in Dallas, as he had an amazing offseason and seemed extremely motivated to pursue his fifth ring. But it's gone completely wrong.

Thompson is struggling and not finding his game like he used to. A new idea from Bleacher Report involving Thompson would be a perfect one for the Mavericks to make before the season could get worse from the 35-year-old veteran.

Mavericks should explore trading Klay Thompson back to Golden State

Recently, Andy Bailey wrote an article for Bleacher Report titled "Dream and Realistic Trade Targets for Every NBA Team During 2025-26." This was the same article in which Bailey named LeBron James as the Mavericks' dream target. However, Bailey wrote how Thompson can be a realistic target for one team.

That is Thompson's old team, the Golden State Warriors.

"If the Golden State Warriors coaching staff is just on the idea of Johnathan Kuminga (and last season suggests it might be), swapping him for a helpful veteran would make sense," Bailey said. "And, a Splash Brothers, especially one that includes the duo playing with Jimmy Butler, could be a blast."

There wouldn't be a guarantee that the Mavericks would receive Kuminga for Thompson in a swap. However, trading Thompson to reunite with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and the Warriors may be an idea for the Mavericks to consider before it gets too late in the season, as his value could decline further than it already has.

Thompson's struggling play this season is clear. After seven games, Thompson has averaged 8.1 points per game. A huge letdown from his usual scoring that fans are used to seeing.

Scoring has been simple for Thompson for most of his career, with his ability to catch and shoot, get hot quickly, play solid defense, and be relied on for clutch shooting. However, that isn't happening this season.

Thompson is shooting below 33 percent from the field overall and under 28 percent from three. Shooting struggles for Thompson have never been this bad. He has scored under 10 points in a game four times this season, two of which have been games in which he scored five points.

A reunion in the Bay may be the best thing for Thompson, considering his success as a Warrior before leaving after the 2023-24 season. Thompson's scoring hasn't been the same since leaving Steve Kerr's offense led by Curry, and he'd be a much better fit in Golden State than in Dallas at this point in his career.

A thing that would potentially make Thompson easy to trade is his contract. Thompson has one year remaining on his contract after this season, so trading Thompson away can help the Mavericks free up some cap space while giving him a fresh start.

Even with his solid NBA resume, Thompson hasn't been relied upon as deeply in Dallas as he was in Golden State. Playing beside Doncic before the trade helped Thompson, but everything has changed now, and he seems like the odd man out.

Playing alongside Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and now Cooper Flagg has helped Thompson some, but he doesn't have an elite point guard to get him the ball in his favorite spots on the floor. Thompson was a go-to guy in Golden State when the team needed him most, but that hasn't been the case in Dallas, especially this season.

Thompson's struggles have even led him to get decreased minutes from Jason Kidd this season. With his poor shooting and play, Kidd can't trust Thompson like the Warriors once did. As a result, Thompson has averaged under 20 minutes per game this season, and Kidd is favoring Max Christie.

This season has been the worst season of Thompson's career. Trading him away would open the door for the Mavericks to get more scoring from other players while sending Thompson somewhere that would maximize his skill set.

The Mavericks' lack of shot creation has hurt Thompson much more than anyone could've expected, and things may be rough for him until Irving returns from injury.