Draymond Green and Klay Thompson have one of the best friendships in the league. Together with Stephen Curry, they became the foundation for what would eventually become the Golden State Warriors dynasty. However, the second Splash Brother decided to part ways with the Steve Kerr-led squad in NBA Free Agency. Instead, he will be joining Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the Dallas Mavericks system.
A big point of discussion after Klay Thompson's decision to leave the Warriors was the number that he would be wearing with the Mavericks. It was finally revealed that he would suit up in #31 because Kyrie Irving already donned his iconic #11. Draymond Green saw this and had some very simple words to describe how he felt about the change.
Thompson is now going to embrace his role as more of a floor spacer in the Mavericks system. After all, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both have the ability to create shots for themselves on all levels of scoring. However, Jason Kidd struggled mightily in declogging driving lanes and making drive-and-kick schemes easier. So, the addition of Thompson is more than welcome.
So, why did he choose #31? Thompson posits that it pays homage to the two other greatest shooters that he has seen play. Jason Terry wore the exact same number as the Mavericks. It was also with him that Dirk Nowitzki along with Coach Kidd won the 2011 NBA Finals against a steaming hot Miami Heat squad led by LeBron James. Moreover, it also pays respect to Reggie Miller. The iconic Indiana Pacers shooter wore the same number throughout his career.
Why did the Warriors legend join the Mavericks?
As much as Thompson wanted to stay with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, he and the Warriors front office just didn't see eye-to-eye when it came to his contract extension. The fact that he also got benched for Brandin Podziemski didn't help the fact that he was going to play big minutes too. So, he took the offer from the Mavericks. It lasts for three years and is valued at around $300 million.
But, the money and three years of tenure were not the clincher when it came to this decision to leave the Warriors. Thompson firmly believes that he is the missing piece to the Mavericks rotation, via Schuyler Dixon of the NBA.
“I was watching just as a basketball fan, and I did see, like, ‘Man, I could really help this team. They’re right there. Not big adjustments, but just very little adjustments from getting over the top. We’re knocking on the door, and that’s what really got me excited to be here,” he declared.
Notably, the Mavericks lost the NBA Finals in five games against the Boston Celtics. They did not go down without swinging as in both Games 3 and 4, the Luka Doncic-led squad was doing great. The squad even made the current NBA champions wallow in a 122-84 loss. If Thompson truly is the missing piece in the Warriors dynasty to a possible Mavericks championship, he'd be immortalized even more in NBA history.
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