10 Reasons the Dallas Mavericks aced the Klay Thompson sign-and-trade

The Dallas Mavericks recently just made a sign-and-trade to acquire Golden State Warrior legend and one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history Klay Thompson.

Dallas sent Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets while the Warriors got two second-round picks. Thompson signed a three-year, $50 million contract at 34 years old.

It might be hard for fans to look at Thompson in another jersey, but the Mavs organization and fans are excited to welcome Thompson with open arms.

10 Reasons the Dallas Mavericks aced the Klay Thompson sign-and-trade

With the Mavs losing in the 2024 NBA Finals to the Celtics in five games, it was obvious the team needed another piece to their roster, and general Manager Nico Harrison struck gold getting Thompson.

With his tremendous history in the NBA, Thompson brings so much to the Mavs that they desperately needed. With Thompson on board, it was a move that the team aced.

Having Thompson on the Mavs roster will be interesting, and the sky is the limit.

10. Dallas only traded two second-round draft picks

When building a team, every draft pick matters. After trading away first-round draft picks over the past few seasons to upgrade the roster, the Mavs were able to get away with trading just two second-round picks to the Warriors. They have been aggressive with trading first-round picks in the past, and they got this deal done while using just second-round picks.

It's important that the Mavs avoided giving up a first-round pick, and they did. The second-round picks might have been worthy of trading down the road in the future for another key piece, but adding a guaranteed starter in Thompson was worth it. The Mavericks are set to be good for years to come, and those second-round picks likely wouldn't have meant much.

While losing Green does hurt a bit, at least he is heading to the Eastern Conference.

Green did add more value to his game after an impressive Game 5 of the Finals, and at least he isn't heading to Golden State.

With Green now gone in Big D, the Mavs will have to rely on other guards to play a bigger role for next season.

9. Losing Josh Green won't hurt as much after Quentin Grimes trade

Prior to acquiring Klay Thompson, the Mavs made a trade with the Detroit Pistons which sent Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round draft picks in exchange for Quentin Grimes. Now the team has traded Josh Green, but it helped them make the roster better.

The fact the Mavs were able to make a trade for another guard like Grimes doesn't make trading away Green look worse. One key thing is the Mavs were able to replace Green with someone who is already an elite defender. With already trading three away to the Pistons in the Grimes trade, the Mavs got away with just using two for Klay Thompson. So instead of losing three draft picks, the Mavs lost two for Thompson.

Grimes has had one season averaging over 10 points per game, unlike Green. With Dallas being able to make a trade for another guard prior to trading Green shows they knew what player was ready to fill Green's spot on the roster.

Grimes is also another consistent 3-point shooter to go along with Thompson. With Thompson coming to Dallas along with Grimes, the Mavs now have two shooting guards who can shoot the three at an elite level.

Had the Mavs not made a worthy trade for another guard to replace Green, the Grimes trade would've looked worse for the Mavs. Now that they have their guard to fill in for Green, this will help them for next season.

8. Klay Thompson is an upgrade over Tim Hardaway Jr.

It goes without saying that Tim Hardaway Jr.'s tenure in Dallas ended very bad, and the Mavs were looking to add a player over Hardaway Jr. Even with rumors of trade talks surrounding Hardaway Jr. before, the Mavs were unable to trade him until last week. The Mavs were able to get Klay Thompson in a huge upgrade. Last season, Hardaway Jr. averaged the third most points on the Mavs with 14.4, and Thompson averaged 17.9. Right there, the Mavs were able to get an upgrade in scoring with Thompson over Hardaway Jr. for next season.

Hardaway Jr. was a player who can play shooting guard and some small forward. Thompson has the ability to play both positions which helps out big.

During the 2024 Playoffs, Hardaway Jr. became a huge liability that the Mavs couldn't have on their roster anymore. Now yes, Thompson scored no points in the Warriors' 2024 Play-In game against the Kings which goes down in NBA infamy. Thompson's scoreless game against the Kings left his future in the Bay questionable. But, Thompson has had so much Playoff success with the Warriors than Hardaway Jr. ever had in Dallas that the Mavs will be ready to take on if they make the 2025 Playoffs. Obviously, expectations will be high with Thompson.

With Thompson now in Dallas and Hardaway Jr. gone, this is a major upgrade to help the Mavs win more.

7. The Mavericks found a way to beat out Lakers

Prior to joining the Mavs, one team that was rumored to be interested in signing Klay Thompson was the Lakers. LeBron James made a phone call to Thompson and was even willing to take a pay cut for Thompson before he joined Dallas. It would've made sense why he would sign with the Lakers.

Thompson was born in LA, and his father Mychal Thompson played for the Lakers. So, there could've been interest to play for a team his father played for.

Thompson also spent his whole life living on the West Coast as he graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, and Thompson played college basketball at Washington State. Thompson lived in the Bay while playing for the Warriors, and would've remained living in California if he signed with the Lakers.

Obviously, Thompson likes the direction the Mavs are heading in with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the team. Playing with those two players appeared to be more enticing than playing with James and Anthony Davis. And, that is big.

Thompson had four-year offers for more money, but took less money to play in Dallas. California and Texas also have different state taxes which could've also played a factor for Thompson to sign in Dallas. LA in much more pricy to live in than Dallas, and maybe Thompson didn't want to be in a gigantic city like LA.

At the end of the day, the Mavs beat out the Lakers for signing Thompson. This is going to be huge going forward as free agents want to play in Dallas like Thompson.

6. Mavericks needed a shooter badly

One area that the Mavs needed to upgrade especially after it went poor during the Finals was 3-point shooting. After searching around for players, they were able to find the missing piece from three with Klay Thompson. Throughout his NBA career, Thompson was known as one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA, and all-time.

In his NBA career, Thompson is a 41 percent career 3-point shooter. In 11 seasons (two seasons weren't played due to injuries in 2019-20 and 2020-21), Thompson has shot over 40 percent from three in nine seasons. That is an incredible state that the Mavs were now able to add to their roster. Thompson also holds the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a single game with 14. The fact Thompson has a record like that over his former Warrior teammate Stephen Curry, who has the most 3-pointers all-time, is impressive.

With Luka Doncic shooting 38 percent and Kyrie Irving shooting 41 percent from three last season, adding Thompson is a big threat. The Mavs now have three elite 3-point shooters and that will make them a scarier team to play against. The Mavs were also able to replace Tim Hardaway Jr.'s 35 percent from three last season with Thompson.

The Mavs now have taken care of their 3-point shooting woes from their Finals loss to the Celtics with adding one of the greatest to shoot the three in Thompson.

5. Klay Thompson is ready to win another ring

With already four NBA championships in his career, Klay Thompson wants to add another ring to his resume. The Warriors' days of running the NBA appeared to be in deep doubt after losing to the Kings in the 2024 Play-In Tournament. With the Warriors' reign of dominance closing, Thompson would need to join a new team if wanting another ring, and Dallas is the perfect fit with a chance to win his fifth championship.

The Mavs are just coming off a Finals loss and have a lot of potential to return to the Finals. For Thompson, he joins the team who just fell in the Finals, but gives them a shot to have another run to the Finals.

Thompson can see the Mavs have incredible potential to reach the Finals for years to come with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the team. It made sense for Thompson to join a team that is ready to win now and not to a team that has struggled over the past few seasons.

The Mavs' roster was designed right by General Manager Nico Harrison to win now, and adding Thompson will help them in their win-now phase. There's no doubt that by adding Thompson, fans can see the Mavs as title favorites entering this season, and with the chance to win the West for the second consecutive season.

4. Klay Thompson has championship pedigree

When Klay Thompson was a member of the Warriors, he was a key member on the roster that contributed to winning. The Mavs needed a player that would bring championship pedigree to the roster. and they were able to do so by signing Thompson.

Other than Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris, no other Maverick on the roster has won a championship before in their NBA career. With Thompson on board, he will bring his championship pedigree and toughness to this Mavs team.

Thompson was part of six Western Conference Championship teams and four NBA Championships when he was a member of the Warriors. Thompson is a clear winner and wants the ability to win again with the Mavs.

Coming off a Finals loss last season, the Mavs will be hungry and motivated to prove to everyone wrong that last season wasn't a fluke. Thompson can bring his pedigree to the Mavs young roster and show them just how difficult it can be to win a championship. Having another superstar who knows what it takes with Irving is an additional boost to the Mavs roster.

Finding superstars who have the championship pedigree to add to a roster like Thompson isn't easy to find. General Manager Nico Harrison found an elite superstar who can do that. The Mavs will need Thompson's pedigree if they want to win championships for years to come.

3. Mavericks needed a third scorer

The Mavs are led by elite scorers Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. At the conclusion of last season, the Mavs didn't have anybody else on their roster who averaged over 15 points per game. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the third leading scorer who averaged 14.4 points per game. With Klay Thompson now signed, the Mavs will no longer have to worry about finding a third scorer.

Last season, Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game which was second on the Warriors behind Stephen Curry. In his career, Thompson has averaged 19.6 points per game. In seven seasons, Thompson averaged at least 20 points per game. Thompson provides the ability to be the Mavs' third scorer on the team.

In the 2024 Playoffs, the Mavs desperately could've used a third scorer. There were games where the Mavs didn't know which player would take a bigger role and score. P.J. Washington was the only other Maverick other than Doncic and Irving who averaged at least 10 points per game. A third scorer during the Playoffs is always needed and Thompson will have the ability to be a third scorer.

Even when Thompson played alongside Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, Thompson was always able to be a productive scorer. With two superstars with Doncic and Irving, Thompson can be the clear third scorer on the Mavs roster.

2. Klay Thompson's contract was a steal

Klay Thompson's NBA career with four championships and being one of the greatest 3-point shooters in NBA history, could've made himself earn a big contract. For the Mavs, they were able to luck out big with the contract Thompson signed.

Thompson signed a three-year, $50 million ($16.67 million per year) with the Mavs. That's a bargain at this point in his career and when looked at other contracts by NBA players. Paul George recently signed a four-year, $212 million (contract with the 76ers. That is for a player who has never played in an NBA Finals and also who has been known to underperform in the Playoffs and is the same age as Thompson.)

Comparing another superstar like George and Thompson, and seeing the contracts they just signed is incredibly shocking with the prices. Thompson obviously wanted to go to the right team for the right price that can help him win and the Mavs certainly do that. Even at the price of his contract, Thompson is arguably the biggest free agent signing in the history of the Mavs franchise.

Thompson cares about winning and was willing to take less money for a team that is ready to win now. Thompson took less money in order to be with a team that can get him his fifth championship. A lesser contract can also help the Mavs make a few more transactions this summer too.

1. Dallas has a impressive big three now

The Dallas Mavericks are clearly led by their superstar player Luka Docnic. When Kyrie Irving was traded to the Mavs in February 2023, it formed an outstanding duo, and the Irving trade looks better every day. Now a big three is formed with Klay Thompson signing in Dallas, and it's impressive.

The Mavs have three superstar players that can strike fear in the hearts of the opponents every time they step onto the court. Thompson also has solidified Dallas as arguably the best big three in all of the NBA.

Since the Doncic era started in 2018, Dallas has never been able to have three players on its roster to be considered a big three, until now. These three players are ready to take over the NBA and start winning championships.

The Mavs aren't repeating 2011 when they didn't add a superstar player to their roster coming off a championship win and changing the roster completely. They did lose Derrick Jones Jr. to the LA Clippers, but they replaced him with Naji Marshall.

Coming off a championship loss in 2024, the Mavs looked to find a third player to form a big three and they certainly did.

The excitement surrounding the Mavs for the 2024-25 season just got bigger with the team adding Thompson to an already talented team. Thompson adds many traits to Dallas to make them a better team. With a new superstar in Dallas, the town will be buzzing to start the new season.

For all the latest on Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks all offseason long, stay tuned.