Klay Thompson can't hide how his Mavericks dream went completely sideways

Future Hall of Fame shooting guard Klay Thompson signed with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2024 to compete for NBA Championships in the twilight of his career. Dallas had just made the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way, and Thompson was excited to join this core.

Instead, he's stuck on a Mavericks roster that's set to be in the NBA Draft Lottery for the third time in four seasons. He thought he'd be the team's missing piece to returning to the NBA Finals, and now he's missed four of the last 11 games due to rest for a team that has lost 26 of its last 31 games.

Dallas is in the middle of tanking for better lottery odds, and Thompson knows it.

From trying to win the NBA Finals to "tanking"

Amid a 14-point second quarter in which he drained 3-4 3-point attempts on February 7, Thompson looked at the San Antonio Spurs' bench and said: "It doesn't matter, we're tanking." This report from Christian Clark of The Athletic not only exposes how hard this season may be for Thompson, but also how much has changed over the last 14 months.

Doncic was poised to be the four-time champion's perfect running mate. He's at his best when he's playing with a dynamic on-ball creator, and Doncic's gravity was bound to revive his career and turn him into a monster catch-and-shoot threat after a diversity-filled season in Golden State that included him being sent to the bench.

He was fired up to play with the Slovenian superstar, but they only got to play 21 games together. Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last February, and ever since that moment, Dallas has never felt the same.

They went from making the finals to playing in the Play-In Tournament, and now, they're tanking. They've already traded Anthony Davis, the player they acquired in exchange for Doncic, and they're in the middle of a mini-rebuild around Cooper Flagg.

Klay Thompson is stuck in a rebuild he never expected

This is why they're dropping so many games, as draft positioning is extremely important for them to find a solid co-star for Flagg, but losing was never part of the deal for Thompson.

This isn't what he deserves after he decided to leave the Bay after 13 seasons, and this offseason will show if he's truly satisfied about playing in Dallas through the end of his contract.

He's averaging 11.7 points per game on shooting 38.6 percent from downtown, and while he's playing less than he ever has, he has shown that he can still contribute for a contender due to his shot-making from beyond the arc. Thompson has made five or more threes 15 times this season, and he still has a lot to offer as a 3-point specialist.

This is why this summer could make or break the final few years of his career

Thompson has a pivotal summer ahead

While Thompson has publicly embraced his new role coming off the bench, there were rumbles that he preferred to play for a contender. The Mavericks ended up not trading him before the deadline, but they could explore his trade market this summer if he asks for a trade.

Dallas won't be tanking next season, as they don't own their first-round pick, but they may not be competing for a title like Thompson expected either. Flagg will be in his second season, Kyrie Irving will be returning after not playing in an NBA game for 19 months, and their roster may not be ready to compete with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

The Mavericks still have a lot of work to do before they climb to the top of the mountain again, and Thompson has to decide if he'd like to be part of this journey again or not.