Mavericks' once-impossible Klay Thompson trade is suddenly within reach

For the Dallas Mavericks, it has been a rocky start to the season after their recent 113-111 heartbreaking loss to the New York Knicks that saw them fall to 4-12 on the season. It's definitely not the start that any fan wanted to see out of a Mavericks squad that was expected to make a push at a championship earlier this season, but through 16 games and the firing of Nico Harrison, the Mavericks could be headed down a new direction before the trade deadline approaches.

With a rebuild in the minds of just about every fan, the Mavericks must make sure that they extract the most amount of value for the players that they do elect to trade. For starters, one of the most obvious trade candidates would be Anthony Davis, and while the Mavericks could get a boatload of assets for him, players like Klay Thompson or Daniel Gafford are where the Mavericks need to earn their money with the assets they receive back in a trade.

Both Gafford and Thompson have been in trade rumors this season, and Dallas has to do whatever they can to maximize their value if they do decide to move on from both of them.

Now may be the perfect time for Dallas to trade Klay Thompson

For Thompson, his rocky start to the season made him almost unplayable as well as untradeable considering the contract he is on and his age; however, after a recent few-game stretch that has seen the four-time champion come into form, Thompson's trade value may now officially be something worth looking into for the Mavericks before it's too late.

Over the last five games, Thompson is averaging 14.2 points per game while shooting 36.5 percent from downtown. He's showing that his early-season slump is a thing of the past, and Dallas running actions for him, while being more intentional with how they use him in the offense, have worked wonders for his game.

There's no doubt that when Thompson joined the Mavericks in the 2024 offseason, he was meant to complement a team that was fresh off an NBA Finals run, which saw them get run out of the gym on the offensive end due to their lack of floor spacing. After Doncic was traded last February and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in early March, Thompson's status on the floor has looked bleak.

Even heading into this season, Thompson was expected to be one of the only Mavericks who had the capabilities to pull up from anywhere on the floor and shoot the ball with consistency, but that was far from the case. Almost 10 games into the season, it became increasingly clear that Thompson had lost a step athletically, and while it would have been easy to start reducing his minutes, Thompson may have broken out of his early-season slump at the perfect time.

By no means is his newfound shooting this season resulting in Maverick wins, but his status as a possible trade target for a contending team or even a team looking to add a veteran shooter may have just grown. It's unclear what kind of market Thompson could garner considering his age, but for a team looking to add shooting or even just a veteran who understands what it takes to win playoff games, his asking price is growing by the second.

Against the Knicks, Thompson only shot 3-9 from behind the 3-point line, but constantly drew the attention of the New York defense, which created one of Dallas' best shooting nights this season. He may not be the player he once was in his younger days, but his veteran mindset and ability to push through shooting slumps could make him one of the most tradeable players on a Mavericks squad looking to build around Cooper Flagg.

These next few months could go a long way in detailing what the future of Mavericks basketball could look like, and Thompson getting hot from deep could be a blessing in disguise for Dallas.