Mavericks send Klay Thompson a brutal message he won't want to hear

Just shortly after the opening of NBA free agency at 5 p.m. CST, the Dallas Mavericks have come to terms on a two-year $13 million deal with free agent guard D'Angelo Russell. The 29-year-old guard projects to be Dallas' main stopgap ball handler and shot creator alongside Brandon Williams until Kyrie Irving returns from injury, but Dallas is still exploring ways to try and bring back Dante Exum as well.

Many fans and analysts wanted Dallas to trade for a starting level guard instead of signing one outright with their $5.7 million Taxpayer's MLE, but Dallas took the latter route after Irving gave them that ability based on the structure of the first year of his new deal, and now Russell rounds out Dallas' 15-man roster for the time being, but his addition sparks obvious questions.

It's known that the Mavericks are trying to shed Olivier-Maxence Prosper via trade to bring back Exum after signing Russell. As aforementioned, the next question the Russell signing prompts is: How will the Mavericks round out their starting five with Russell likely starting? While nothing is guaranteed, the answer to that question probably lays in Klay Thompson being moved to the bench, as head coach Jason Kidd has hinted at Dallas being able to play some massive lineups, and general manager Nico Harrison already hinted P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg being able to play together in the same lineups after Harrison talked to Washington during Flagg's pre-draft workout.

D'Angelo Russell signing could push Klay Thompson to the bench

Of course, this isn't what Thompson signed up for when he came to Dallas, as he envisioned himself starting alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in an effort to try and win another championship in the twilight of his career, but it's without a doubt that Thompson is the perfect type of marksman, secondary creator, and movement shooter to come off the bench in a sixth-man role.

The Mavericks desperately need a primary offensive initiator in their lineup until Irving comes back, regardless of how gigantic of a lineup they want to roll out, so they simply can't walk into the season without starting one of Russell or Williams. That leaves Thompson or Washington to be the odd man out of Dallas' starting five since it is basically guaranteed Flagg, Anthony Davis, and one of Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford will start next season.

Dallas' defense would be menacing if they opted to start Washington over Thompson, but there would be obvious questions regarding the potential lack of shooting and offensive fluidity in that starting lineup, especially since it's unknown how long it will take for Flagg to come into his own offensively.

Thompson has proven to be a team-first veteran presence, and he's getting compensated fairly by the Mavericks at this stage in his career, but it'd still be a huge ask by head coach Jason Kidd to try and get Thompson to commit to coming off the bench all season. Thompson could obviously still start against certain matchups, but if Dallas is really going to commit to being huge and switchable defensively, they have to understand what they may lose for a few extra minutes per game by bringing Thompson off the bench instead of starting him, as Dallas doesn't have anyone else on the roster who can space the floor like he can.

It wouldn't be surprising if Thompson accepts a role off the bench, particularly if he and the Mavericks can get in sync with the vision of him being an important microwave scorer off the bench that can also spot-start. However, the Mavericks have to be wary of the challenges that could present themselves by them sacrificing offense for defense and size, especially in a lineup that is already limited from a shot creation perspective with Irving out to start next season.