Mavericks have a Klay Thompson problem brewing before training camp

The Dallas Mavericks, against all odds and the seeming wishes of some folks in their front office, are going to be pretty good next season. A roster with experience, star power, and one massively talented rookie should be able to compete for a top-six spot in a loaded Western Conference. But the question of how the starting lineup shakes out could end up being a big one, especially if Klay Thompson isn't in it.

That might be more realistic than it seems, too. Recently, Tim MacMahon of ESPN talked about the Mavs starting lineup question on The Hoop Collective Podcast, saying:

"D'Angelo Russell, I believe, is gonna start... Cooper's starting... either Gafford or Lively is starting, AD's starting... The big question to me is, will it be PJ Washington in a jumbo-sized, shooting not so much lineup, which would mean Klay Thompson is coming off the bench... if Klay's coming off the bench, that's going to be a story."

I don't understand why Dallas would do that, for the record. I really like PJ Washington's game, but Thompson seems like the clear better fit to start with the rest of that projected lineup. Cooper Flagg is a high-level shooter but isn't going to spot up much in the NBA. Gafford and Lively are both non-factors from out there, and AD has range but is obviously much better on the low block.

Of course, Washington brings more defensive pressure than Klay does at this point in their careers, but with AD, Flagg, and either Lively or Gafford on the floor, I think it makes far more sense to sacrifice a little more defensive versatility for the real floor-spacing Klay still provides.

Klay Thompson coming off the bench could create some tension

MacMahon also mentioned the (very) brief stretch two years ago when Klay came off the bench for the Warriors. It didn't go well!

"So, Klay came off the bench for 14 games in the 2023-24 season for the Warriors, and it's no secret that he hated it. Felt disrespected... there's a lot of reasons he decided to leave the Warriors, that factored in."

If being benched for 14 games really contributed to Thompson's decision to leave the Warriors... then I'd venture to guess that he wouldn't be thrilled about coming off the pine in 2025-26, either. And nothing is set in stone yet, so there's no reason to fear quite yet. But if there's even a sliver of a chance that Klay isn't in the starting five on opening night, it's worth monitoring the situation.

So, Klay not starting would likely not thrill him and it wouldn't — at least in this writer's opinion — make much sense from a basketball standpoint, either. I know what I would do if I was in charge of the Mavericks, but... I would have done a few things differently if that were the case, so who knows.