Klay Thompson's golden take on Cooper Flagg proves he's in Dallas to stay

It didn't take about 10 minutes before Klay Thompson wowed Dallas Mavericks fans in his debut last season. Since then, he went up and down in plenty of games, with a lot more ups to look forward to this season. His take on the young Cooper Flagg almost assures that he wants to stay in Dallas to close out his career.

Flagg is already the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, leading to the discussion that he's under immense pressure to perform well while Kyrie Irving sits down due to injury. If he performs to what fans and the media expect from him, Flagg will become a young leader of a team already full of veteran talent.

It's a rarity to see a career match someone like Bill Russell or Magic Johnson, who both won a combined 16 championships, but Thompson seems like he wants to pass the torch and share the championship love on his end by wanting the same legacy for Flagg. Thompson was on record saying that he wants to get Flagg championships, and it's easy to see that the 18-year-old generational star can be in that same conversation one day.

Thompson's praise for Flagg hints he's in Dallas for good

“I want a ring bro," Thompson said. "Trying to get Coop on that list with Magic [Johnson] and Bill Russell."

Flagg responded by reiterating that same love for his veteran sharpshooter, saying that Thompson has been nothing but warm and welcoming in his short time in Dallas.

"Klay [has] been treating me well," Flagg said. "He’s a great vet. Been giving us books, knowledge, wisdom. Great vet, man.”

Of course he is.

He's a four-time champion who played with Stephen Curry and was coached by Steve Kerr, one of the modern-day innovators of the off-ball motion offense. Thompson has been there and done that; now it's time for Flagg to do the same. The former Duke Blue Devil is being hyped up as much as LeBron James or Victor Wembanyama. This isn't your everyday rookie, and Thompson knows that he wants to be a part of something special.

It's not a secret why the veteran loves the rookie already. Flagg's playmaking abilities are going to give Thompson tons of great looks, just like how Luka Doncic was supposed to, but Flagg is just another gold facilitator that's going to help Thompson get in the vicinity of 15 points a night.

It's no secret that Thompson loves Dallas. In this latter stage of his career, he's a four-time champion with a roster that he feels he can contribute to a title. The soon-to-be 15-year guard has watched videos of the 2011 championship team to get a feel of the battles that team had to go through.

He wouldn't be with Dallas at all if he thought otherwise. The fact that Dallas was able to steal him from Los Angeles was a sign in the first place that Dallas can do something really special.