Klay Thompson's departure rips the door wide open for Mavericks rookie to shine

After just two seasons, Klay Thompson is no longer a Dallas Maverick. Dallas signed Thompson to a three-year deal in the summer of 2024, but bought him out on Friday. This allowed him to become a free agent, as he preferred to play for a contender at this stage of his career, and he signed with the Miami Heat.

While finding a trade for Thompson was ideal, this buyout actually has some benefits. He was no longer on the same timeline as Dallas, as the Mavs are retooling around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg while Thompson is trying to win his fifth championship.

On top of this, his departure opens up minutes for Dallas' other sharpshooters on the roster. One of the players who will benefit most is rookie wing Tarik Biberovic.

How Biberovic landed in Dallas

The Mavericks acquired Biberovic's draft rights in the Santi Aldama trade, and later signed him to a two-year deal. The Memphis Grizzlies drafted him in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, but he hasn't played in an NBA game yet.

The Grizzlies utilized him as a draft-and-stash prospect. He spent the last eight years playing for Fenerbache in Europe, and now he'll finally have the chance to play real NBA minutes for the Mavs.

Why Thompson leaving is a blessing for Biberovic

Biberovic shot 48.9 percent from three on 5.2 attempts per game in the BSL last season, and Thompson's departure is actually great news for him. Dallas would've needed to give Thompson minutes if they held onto him to keep him happy while also attempting to increase his trade value. But now that he's gone, Dusty May can fully lean into giving his young players minutes.

Biberovic falls into this category, and if he has a productive training camp, he could be someone who's in May's normal rotation. His shooting is that strong, and after seeing how Dallas fared from long range last season, Biberovic was the perfect pickup.

How good of a shooter is Biberovic?

He was one of the best shooters in Europe over the last few years, as he found a way to be extremely efficient on high volume. These things usually don't mix, as players who shoot a lot of threes typically don't have a high 3-point percentage, but that's not the case with Biberovic.

He is a career 42.3 percent 3-point shooter in Europe. This includes four seasons of shooting better than 45 percent from long range.

How can Dusty May use him?

Biberovic's bread and butter is draining movement threes off the catch — just like Thompson. He doesn't need much time to get his shot off and excels at making shots when coming off screens.

May is going to be able to utilize him in multiple ways, and his off-ball gravity will help create better looks for everyone else. His floor spacing will give the team's offense a new wrinkle, as they need as many shooters as possible around Flagg after shooting 34.4 percent from three last season.

Dallas needs any help they can get, and with Thompson gone and Biberovic in, they have the potential to uncover one of the NBA's most slept-on rookies. Biberovic's production in Europe proved that he is ready for this moment, and he now has a much better chance to be in May's rotation after the Mavs parted with one of the best 3-point shooters of all time.

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