New Klay Thompson rumor proves Mavericks have officially hit rock bottom

According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, the Dallas Mavericks will gauge the trade market for Klay Thompson ahead of the February trade deadline, and his struggles are clearly not being overlooked by the Mavericks' brass just a few weeks into the regular season.

"It is no secret that Harrison and the Mavericks' front office will explore what return exists for Klay Thompson before the trade deadline," Siegel reported.

Through eight games, Thompson is averaging 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 34.2 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from downtown, and there is plenty of reason to be concerned about his poor start if you're the Mavericks.

Mavericks weighing a Klay Thompson trade after awful start

But it's not his fault.

In the summer of 2024, Dallas signed Klay Thompson to help address their shooting deficiency that tanked their chance to take down the Boston Celtics in that year's NBA Finals. They needed shooting badly, and adding Thompson to play alongside all-world shot creator Luka Doncic seemed like a match made in heaven.

Thompson had heavy admiration for Doncic's game, and plainly, one of the main reasons that he signed with the Mavericks was to play alongside him. He saw himself as the team's missing piece to return to the NBA Finals, and now, with Dallas being without an elite shot creator, Thompson has been completely displaced by the Mavericks.

He has no one who can consistently generate good looks for him, and the lack of spacing on their new roster has affected his game significantly. It doesn't help Thompson's case that he is struggling to knock down some of his open looks and has had some very questionable shot selection at times this season, but still, it was never supposed to be like this for him.

And now, he may get moved less than halfway into his three-year contract that he signed with the Mavericks. A three-year, $50 million deal was an absolute steal for a shooter of his magnitude at the time, but Dallas could struggle finding a new home for him due to how badly he has played thus far.

Thompson's move to the bench earlier this week helped a bit, as he finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 22 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, and Dallas will be crossing their fingers for more of the same if they are set on moving him this season.

Moving on from Thompson this quickly wasn't something that Mavericks fans would've ever expected when they signed him last summer, as he seemed like the perfect fit to help them space the floor, and Doncic had never gotten to play with a shooter of that magnitude over his entire career in Dallas. He and Thompson were a strong duo when they did get to share the floor, but it didn't last long.

Mavericks fans should definitely keep an eye on Thompson, his production, and potential trade rumblings surrounding him, especially if the team continues to struggle, and they could end up getting some solid value back for him if he can turn his season around. Rival teams could bet on Thompson's potential in their system, as they'd understand that it's hard for anyone to flourish in the league's worst offenses, and we could see the former Splash Brother sporting a different jersey by the time February 5 rolls around.