Klay Thompson’s time in Dallas has not gone as he expected when he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2024.
At the time, Thompson was joining the reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks, decent consolation when leaving Golden State, where he won four titles with the Warriors.
Less than two years later, he’s sharing the court with former No. 1-drafted rookie Cooper Flagg, not MVP candidate Luka Doncic or even perennial All-Star Anthony Davis, who arrived in the shock trade last season that sent Doncic to Los Angeles.
Entering Monday’s game against the Warriors in Dallas, the Mavs had lost 11 straight home games, dating back two months to the last time Golden State visited, Jan. 22, when Steph Curry had 38 points in a loss.
Thompson, for his part, says he is focused on the positives. Perhaps not surprising, given that the five-time All-Star missed two seasons (2019-20, 2020-21) because of injuries.
“You want to win every chance you can. Especially in this league. It’s really hard to win. Although it hasn’t gone our way, it’s still awesome being out there,” Thompson told reporter Noah Weber last week at a Mavericks charity function.
Dallas is trying to turn over a new leaf after the Doncic trade blindsided the fanbase, resulting in fan protests more often seen in European soccer than in American sports.
Team CEO Rick Welts, who spent a decade as the Warriors’ president, recently told the Dallas Morning News that the end of the Mavs’ sellout streak is due in part to a change in philosophy: Instead of counting handout tickets to keep the streak alive, the franchise is giving away fewer seats. Having heard the fanbase and fired GM Nico Harrison, the architect of the Doncic deal, the Mavericks are not raising season ticket prices next year.
The players still laud the atmosphere at the arena, as fans reconcile their relationship with the team.
“Dallas is the best. They are so supportive,” Thompson told reporter Abby Jones of DLLS Sports. “Not only of the Mavericks, but every sports franchise.”
Thompson, 36, also has hope budding off the court, where this season his social media accounts have featured girlfriend Megan Thee Stallion, the Houston rapper, after the couple went public last summer. (A viral post last week suggesting the two had split — featuring totally unrelated video from Thompson’s time with the Warriors — appears to have no basis in reality.)
The Splash Brother’s basketball future may be murky as he enters the final year of a three-year, $50 million contract. A 13-year veteran who can’t defend like he used to may not fit in with Dallas’ plans to reconstruct its roster around Flagg, rather than Doncic. Thompson is averaging career lows in points (11.9), field goal percentage (39.5) and 3-point shooting (38.5%).
His father, Lakers legend Mychal Thompson, has been vocal on his SoCal radio show about wanting his son to play for the purple and gold before his career wraps.
No matter what unfolds, Thompson made one thing clear in his interview with Weber.
“I love the game with all my heart,” Thompson said.