Can Klay Thompson still thrive on a Western Conference championship contender? Dallas is betting on it.

When we think of Klay Thompson’s 13-year tenure with the Golden State Warriors (which ended on Monday when he agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team deal), we often remember his heated moments, when he reduced an entire gym to ashes, like his NBA-record 37-point quarter against the Kings:

Or when he scored 60 points in the third quarter. 11 dribbles — Pacers:

Or his NBA-record 14 three-pointers against the Bulls:

Or in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals, he made 11 3-pointers and scored 41 points on the road in Oklahoma City to lead the Warriors to a season-ending victory and cement Klay’s Game 6 lore.

Or in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, as Golden State tried to avoid elimination at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, he scored 30 points in 31 minutes with under three quarters to play, but landed hard on a fast-break dunk and foul by Danny Green, immediately grabbed his left knee and needed help off the court and back to the Warriors’ locker room… only to turn around and return to the court and make a free throw on what was later determined to be a torn ACL. Trying to get back on the defensive Before Steve Kerr beat him:

That night at Oracle wasn’t the end for Thompson, but it was the beginning of the end for him as a Warriors.

Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 season due to surgery to repair a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. He missed the entire 2020-21 season after tearing his Achilles tendon during a preseason workout. He returned midway through the 2021-22 season after being out 941 days, starting all 22 playoff games as the Golden State dynasty’s core made an incredible run to the 2022 title. But while the magic returned at times — including 54 times in Atlanta, when he hit 12 triples twice in a three-week span — it wasn’t sustainable, the hot hand became more elusive and what once looked effortless now looks more labored.

Thompson shot 25% from the field in the Warriors’ final four games of the 2023 playoff second-round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, including 3-of-19 in Game 6, the proving ground that once defined his reputation. He’s obviously taken a step back from his All-Defensive Team days, struggling to stay in front of opposing wings and spending more time guarding power forwards than guards this season. (His most frequent defensive matchups, per NBA Advanced Stats, are Jalen Williams, Aaron Gordon, Harrison Barnes and Kevin Durant.)

He also struggled to shoot above 40 percent from the field throughout Golden State’s tumultuous first half, which ultimately led Kerr to bench the five-time All-Star, four-time champion and two-time All-NBA selection for the first time since his rookie season (albeit briefly). Thompson watched as Brandin Podziemski, one of several perimeter players the Warriors drafted with an eye on replacing Klay as Stephen Curry’s established running mate, took to the court for the opening tip. Thompson then checked into the game at 7:12 of the first quarter… and finished with a season-high 35 points in 28 minutes.

Golden State found its rhythm midseason, going 28-15 with the fifth-best net rating in the NBA after Draymond Green returned from his second suspension. But the strength of the Western Conference and the depth of the hole they were trying to climb out of meant the Warriors couldn’t escape the play-in tournament. Their longtime siblings, the Kings, were primed to knock them out of the postseason. Thompson, the architect of so many stellar games in big moments, missed all 10 shots he took.

This is how the world ends. Not with any fanfare, but quietly. Weeks of no-wins separation and little communication. Two second-round draft picks, a trade exception, and a promise to retire Thompson’s jersey… once he’s done wearing the other team’s.

“There’s two ways it goes,” Thompson told reporters after coming off the bench and scoring 35 points in February, “you either pout or you go out there and fight back.”

Thompson was frustrated by his inability to return to his former form and the Warriors’ unwillingness to treat (and pay) him like the player he once was, so what was the response? Who’s going to sign with the defending Western Conference champions and pay a 34-year-old like the player he once was? teeth — Contract starts at about 11% of the salary cap — Become familiar He is a player.

To be clear, he has made more three-pointers over the past two seasons than anyone other than Steph and possesses a combination of long-range shooting volume and accuracy that 95% of the NBA cannot reach.

Thompson has shot at least 39% of his 3-pointers before the break in every season of his career and at least 40% from the corners in every season except for his return in 2021-22. He’s ranked first or second in the NBA in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers made eight of the past 11 seasons, including last year. Now, he’ll be spotting up while Luka Doncic (who leads the NBA in assists that lead to 3-pointers over the past five seasons, according to PBP Stats) and Kyrie Irving (50th on that list) run the pick-and-roll, waiting to break down the defense and launch an offense after kicking the ball back.

Thompson isn’t the All-Star scoring threat he was in his prime, but he’s still many He’ll be a more dangerous option in catch-and-shoot situations than players like P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., Josh Green, Dante Exum or Maxi Kleber, who the Boston Celtics used to neutralize the Mavericks’ offense in the NBA Finals. (Fellow newcomer Quentin Grimes shot 37.9 percent from 3-point range in three seasons with the Knicks before being traded to the Pistons last February. Naji Marshall, who shot a career-best 42 percent from 3-point range last season with New Orleans, could also help on that front.)

Put the emphasis on Luka and Kyrie with the help of Thompson, and you have one of the best shooters in NBA history hitting you. Stick with him, and suddenly the driving, passing and rolling lanes are wider than ever for the Mavs’ top gun and finisher. still Klay took more 3-pointers against “tight” coverage (meaning a defender was within 2-4 feet of the shot) than any other player in the league last season, making 39.5% of his shots.

Thompson could also open up other kinds of opportunities for the Mavericks, including avenues for a player who led the league in points and finished second in usage rate, time of possession and touches per game to score without having to do much in every area.

The pitfall of relying too much on Luka and Kyrie for dribble opportunities is that the offense can stall at times, even when they’re working well together. (Just watch the Finals: The Celtics’ switches slowed the Mavs down, and Dallas averaged 43 fewer passes per game and scored 10 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did in the regular season.) Thompson brings dynamism to his game with his constant off-ball movement. He traveled more distance on offense than any Mavs player last season and averaged more offensive speed than any Mavs player except Exum. This movement demands defensive attention all over the court.

That could benefit Thompson’s own shot…

…and it makes a great impression on others too.

Thompson was seen popping up behind off-ball screens set by Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II and using the attention he got to get even more. more Alley-ooping for the Mavericks big man, Irving recorded his most screen assists since pairing with LeBron James last season in Cleveland, and it’s not hard to imagine him teaming up with Thompson in the kind of guard-to-guard screen action that Klay and Steph have used to toy with defenses for over a decade.

While the offensive alignment looks good, there are still plenty of issues to work out. Will the shot-selection woes that sunk Klay at times last season rear their heads again? Or will Thompson be content to play a more limited role as a rookie on another team than with the team where he (understandably) felt more ownership? If Thompson’s jump shot falters like it did early last season, will he be able to contribute enough elsewhere, as a cutter or complementary playmaker, to make up for it?

And so does the defense. One would expect Thompson to slot into the starting small forward spot vacated by Jones Jr., and the idea of ​​him coming off the bench behind Podziemski seems far-fetched, especially if he returns to Golden State. But it’s worth considering how the trade would affect the Mavericks, who thrived in the second half of last season as a defensive force that began to choke opponents once DJJ was inserted into the starting five.

If Thompson again struggles to get in front of a more agile wing, will the job fall to Washington? What impact would that have? And if a defense that’s been one of the best in the league for the past three-plus months starts to show a few holes, might coach Jason Kidd consider following Kerr’s lead and moving Marshall to the starting five and Thompson to the second unit? Would such a rebalancing cause the same level of friction in Dallas that it did in the Bay Area? And, perhaps most importantly, given how good the role Kidd gave Jones was and how Jones’ versatility and Green’s physicality helped unleash the best version of last year’s Finals team, would this massive rebalancing end up making the Mavericks a better version of themselves?

Dallas brains are betting that’s the case: Swapping Jones, Green and Tim Hardaway Jr. for Thompson, Marshall and Grimes would improve their overall shooting and movement enough, and Luka and Kyrie’s powers enough, that the offensive improvements would outweigh the defensive declines (which might be mitigated considerably by Lively, an absolute monster as a rookie, taking on a bigger role in Year 2).

If they’re right, the Mavs might have enough depth, versatility and offensive firepower to once again challenge for first place in the West, give Thompson a chance to join the five-time champion club he covets, produce some more memorable moments, drown out those weak notes and walk away with a few more flashy plays.