Klay Thompson has recently severed his 13-year-long ties with California. Despite having the option to join the Los Angeles Lakers to extend his stay in the US State, the 34-year-old opted to take his talents to the Dallas Mavericks. Shortly after, his decision to shift to Texas received strong backing from Brian Windhorst, garnering the NBA community’s attention.
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During the latest episode of ESPN’s Get Up, the 46-year-old outlined how the recent endeavors of both franchises played a key role in Thompson’s decision-making. In particular, the Mavs’ latest run to the championship finals had a clear upper hand against the Lakers’ instability. Expressing his viewpoint, Windy mentioned,
“They [the Lakers] are not comparable to where the Mavericks are from competing for championships. The Mavericks are right there on the doorstep…and they presented him with a very clear plan of how they’re gonna use him…[in comparison] the Lakers are still a bit of a mystery. JJ Redick, we’re not exactly sure what his system is gonna look like, how he’s gonna operate”.
"[The Lakers are] not comparable to where the Mavericks are from competing for championships."@windhorstESPN says Dallas made the most sense for Klay Thompson to chase a chip 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KkrcyKqHph
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 2, 2024
Amidst the harshness, the comments seemed justified. There remained a cloud of ambiguity over the Lakers’ ongoing actions. Additionally, the absence of a coaching identity of their recently appointed head coach, JJ Redick, also possibly failed to convince Thomspon.
On the contrary, the Mavs provided him with a clear plan to fit into their system. After all, the franchise was in dire need of a high-caliber three-point shooter. During the last regular season, for instance, they underwhelmingly ranked 13th in the league in three-point field goal percentage. By offering Thompson a 3-year $50 million deal, the franchise is undoubtedly expecting to end this misery.
The 4x champion has embraced this challenge. He consequently looks determined to leave his past behind to aim for a fresh start. As a result, Thompson will be looking to regain his old self in the upcoming season to terrorize his opponents from beyond the arc once again.
