One of the best shooting backcourts of all time was dismantled on July 1st after reports surfaced that Klay Thompson, a four-time NBA Champion, five All-Stars, and NBA record for most points scored in a quarter, 37, is signing a three-year $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. This jaw dropping signing comes after Thompson has struggled to stay healthy the past couple of seasons and has begun to show his age in the last three seasons after averaging the least amount of points per season in his career, 17.9, since the 2012-13 season where he averaged 16.6 points on 42% shooting and 40% from three. Thompson has been the right hand man to Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, commonly known as the “splash brothers” and it will be bizarre to see Thompson in a new uniform in the 2024-25 season.
BREAKING: Free agent Klay Thompson plans to join the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year, $50M deal with a player option, sources tell ESPN. Thompson ends his historic Warriors run as part of a multi-team sign-and-trade that’ll also send Josh Green to Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/4GJ5hR3H5o
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024
Reports have come out that Thompson did not request Curry to use any of his influence in the Warriors organization to try to keep Thompson in the Bay Area, showing that Klay seemed ready to move on from the organization that drafted him in 2011. Thompson has been one of the best three point shooters in NBA history with a career average of shooting 41.3% from three and 40.5% from three in the playoffs. It is clear that the Warriors are looking to rebuild their roster around an aging Draymond Green and Curry but this rebuilding process could easily turn into a complete roster overhaul if the Warriors cannot surround Curry with younger talent and potential. An end of an era happened on July 1st but the Bay Area will never forget one of if not the best shooting backcourts in NBA history.
"\[Klay] turned their franchise around. That franchise is worth billions of dollars not just because of Stephen Curry. It's also because of Klay." 👀 @Rjeff24 says Klay Thompson had a right to be mad with the Warriors during his contract negotiations ✍️ pic.twitter.com/IqlVD0BnKs
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 2, 2024
