The Dallas Mavericks made a big move with the sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson with the Golden State Warriors, and there were a number of factors at play when it came to Thompson's decision. Mainly, Thompson was excited by a team like the Mavericks being serious in their pursuit of him.

“I think what really energized Klay Thompson, I'm told, was just how aggressive Dallas was,” Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said. “They made it clear to him that he was their number one target in free agency, and you know Klay Thompson had watched the Mavs in the playoffs and really saw with that team where he could help. The way he'd fit in there, they certainly, you know, it's a team that certainly could use some shooting, and the idea of playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, it made a lot of sense to him. The Lakers were intriguing to Klay Thompson; obviously, his dad plays there, he lives in LA, he grew up around it. But I think financially, certainly the difference between Texas and California played a part in it.”

Thompson hopes to help the Mavericks take another step after they made the NBA Finals and lost in five games to the Boston Celtics. He joins a team that features Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as the top two scorers, with PJ Washington in the fold as well after he was traded to Dallas from the Charlotte Hornets ahead of the trade deadline this past season.

Klay Thompson looking for fresh start with Mavericks

This past season, Thompson regressed and took a lot of criticism for aspects of his game declining. He eventually was relegated to a bench role with the Warriors. Still, Thompson's shooting was still good, and he brings more value than many believe after all of the criticism that he received last season.

Thompson was part of the Warriors' core alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green that won four championships. He returned from missing two years with injuries in 2021-22 and was a big part of the Warriors returning to the top of the NBA. Over the past two seasons, Golden State has declined a bit, and eventually decided to move on from Thompson. That opened up the opportunity for the Mavericks to swoop in and get him.

In 2023-24, Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game, which is the first time he averaged under 20 points per game since the 2013-14 season, according to Basketball Reference. Still, Thompson put up solid shooting percentaged. He shot 43.2 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three. That is a step down from mark of 41.2 percent from three from 2022-23.

It will be interesting to see how Thompson fits in with the Mavericks. It is good that he will not be asked to take on a big scoring load. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will likely draw a lot of attention and allow Thompson to get open looks from the outside. Luckily, shooting is not something that declines much at all, and that is what Dallas wants him to bring.