Dallas Mavericks sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson

Dallas Mavericks sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson

The Dallas Mavericks have acquired Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Mavericks are sending Josh Green to Charlotte as part of a multi-team deal. Thompson’s new deal with the Mavericks is for 3-years, $50 million.

The Mavericks add the five-time all-star, two-time All-NBA, one-time All-Defense, and four-time NBA champion to a NBA Finals team that needed one or two more quality veterans on the roster. With Thompson, they get that and more. Injuries have sapped him of his athleticism, but make no mistake — Thompson is still one of the best shooters in the NBA.

Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game last season. He also averaged 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He shot 39 percent from behind the arc on nine attempts per game. That’s down a bit from his career average of 41 percent.

The Mavericks finished the regular season second in 3-point shooting percentage last year at 39 percent, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. After the trade deadline, that average sank to just 36 percent, 16th in the NBA. Dallas instead won games with defense, and that trend continued in the playoffs, where they stayed shooting the same 36 percent.

So it’s not surprising that the Mavericks front office went looking for some shooting this offseason. The defensive focus will likely remain, but Thompson adds an elite shooter to the rotation. His defense isn’t what it used to be, but with his size, and perhaps motivated to prove the Warriors made a mistake, he could be able to bounce back and prove capable on the defensive end.