When Klay Thompson signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, he thought he put himself in a position to win his fifth championship. But now, Luka Doncic is no more, Anthony Davis played only 29 games before being included in the trade, and Kyrie Irving is still recovering from knee surgery.
Two years after Thompson's arrival, the Mavericks have become a completely different entity. They are in the bottom half of the standings with a 19–35 record and are highly unlikely to return to the NBA Finals, where they reached a season before Thompson joined the team.
Dallas Cooper will continue to build around Flagg and find young pieces for the future. For Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, he not a good sign For Thompson and other veterans.
"Besides (Daniel) Gafford, a big name we should try to keep an eye on, whether it's a shopping in the offseason or a potential trade, is Klay Thompson," Siegel said on "Clutch Scoops."
"Because he's in the last year of his contract, he doesn't fit their timeline anymore, and he wants to be on a team that's going to compete for championships. So I'll keep an eye on Klay Thompson to see what's going to happen with him at draft time."
. @TomerAzarly And @BrettSiegelNBA Live to talk NBA All-Stars, tanking problems + some early NBA offseason intel! https://t.co/duIKN4TFxL
- ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 19 February 2026
It's not hard to imagine the 36-year-old Thompson playing for a new team next season. As Siegel mentioned, the Mavericks are moving in a different direction with Flagg's meteoric rise, making the older guys on the roster more expensive.
While Thompson is still one of the most lethal shooters in the NBA and has been serviceable off the bench for the Mavericks, he has been significantly slowed by his past injuries.
The four-time champion is averaging a career-low 11.6 points, 38.8% field goals, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.1 minutes per outing.
