Klay Thompson will be returning to San Francisco this week as the Dallas Mavericks are set to face the Golden State Warriors. It could be an emotional game for Thompson, as he comes back to play the team he spent most of his career with and won multiple championships. Unfortunately, he made the tough decision to sign with the Mavericks in free agency during the offseason.

Head coach Steve Kerr recently recalled the moment when Thompson told him that he was going to sign with the Mavericks, and he understood his decision.

“At the end of the breakfast, he said, ‘You know, I think it’s time. I think I’m going to go to Dallas,'” Kerr said via The Athletic's Anthony Slater. “I understood. I completely understood. Sometimes, a fresh start can be healthy. I think it was the right decision for him.

“There’s always stuff as a coach that, you know, you look back and you go, ‘Man, I wish I had done this or said that.' But there’s nothing that keeps me up at night. Everybody’s life and career arc is different. I think Klay made the right decision going to Dallas. Just seeing him the last couple of years, I think he needed a fresh start.”

During his last moments with the Warriors, Kerr was bringing Thompson off the bench at times as he went through a shooting slump to his standards. With the Mavericks, he's back starting and is playing a consistent role with the team, and it looks like he's enjoying his time so far.

Klay Thompson speaks on upcoming matchup against Warriors

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) shoots a technical foul in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Leading up to his return to The Bay, Klay Thompson was asked about his feelings about playing against the Warriors, and he played it cool with the intention of it just being another game.

“It’ll be good to see people you grinded with, obviously, but to me, it’s just another regular season game in November. Obviously, there are bigger implications with the NBA Cup, so what's on my mind is to win that because I haven't been a part of it yet. I know it's young, but it'd be fun to play for that title,” Thompson said.

On the other hand, Stephen Curry had a different reaction to playing against his former backcourt mate.

“I'm not ready for this, man,” Curry said.

Curry and Thompson will go down in NBA history as one of the best backcourts and also two of the best shooters this game has ever seen. It will be weird to see the two players face against each other for the first time in their careers.