Mavericks regret for Klay Thompson trade grows as minutes decline

The unfortunate reality for a vast majority of NBA players is that their environment often dictates their success. Superstars have the unique and innate ability to transcend those restrictions, but even they often find themselves at the mercy of their surroundings.

In the curious case of Klay Thompson, the Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade Luka Doncic is making the four-time NBA champion look less and less at home.

Thompson signed with the Mavericks on a three-year, $50 million contract during a momentous 2024 offseason. Questions arose about how much a then-34-year-old Thompson had left in the tank given his age and the fact that he'd previously suffered a torn ACL and a torn achilles.

As a four-time champion joining a team that was fresh off of reaching the NBA Finals, however, Thompson looked the part of the missing piece.

The hope was that Thompson's experience would be enough to help Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving get over the hump. His veteran instincts, three-point shooting, and situational defense could all be utilized in crucial spots, and the legend of Game 6 Klay would surely save the day when all else failed.

Unfortunately, the Mavericks' baffling decision to trade Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers appears to have been the beginning of a potentially agonizingly long end.

Is Klay Thompson getting lost in the shuffle?

Thompson continues to be a walking bucket when he's on his game, capable of getting hot and erupting without needing as much as a dribble. He has 16 20-point games during his first season in Dallas, including seven since the Doncic trade.

Unfortunately, those eruptions haven't saved Thompson from the pitfalls of erratic playing time and a fate that appeals to have been sealed by the Doncic deal.

Thompson has played at least 30 minutes in just one of his past eight games. He's averaging just 24.8 minutes per contest during that time, down from his season average of 27.4 and the 31.3 minutes he played per outing during his previous eight showings.

Considering Dallas still hasn't clinched a spot in the Play-In Tournament, that's a potentially telling sign of how Thompson fits into the organization's long-term plans.

One of the primary reasons this trend is taking hold is the emergence of up-and-coming players such as Max Christie, Jaden Hardy, and Naji Marshall. Between them, Dallas has three individuals who spend significant minutes at either the 2 or the 3—Thompson's most common positions.

Marshall is also coming off a stretch during which he averaged 23.5 points per game across 12 appearances—and is thus an understandable priority as the team searches for long-term answers.

The same can be said for Hardy, who's averaging 12.1 points per game over his past 12 appearances, twice exceeding 20 in a single showing. Furthermore, the Mavericks are 12.2 points per 100 possessions better with Christie on the court than without him—and are 2.1 points per 100 possessions better without Thompson.

Thompson has the ability to change a narrative in the blink of an eye, but with two years and $34,126,984 remaining on his contract, the future of his Mavericks tenure is bleak.