Ever since Klay Thompson left the Golden State Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks, he’s experienced a lot of losing. It’s probably more than he expected, as he signed on when the team still had Luka Doncic and a healthy Kyrie Irving. But this unexpected situation has not deterred him, and he’s still grateful to call Dallas his new home.
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Thompson ended a 13-year stint with the Warriors when he signed his $50 million, three-year deal with the Mavs in 2024. It was always going to be difficult adjusting to a new team after leaving behind his splash bro, Stephen Curry. The issue was that the adjustment didn’t turn out to be for greener pastures. Instead, it became all about preventing a complete unraveling.
Doncic left for LA, Irving injured himself and was ruled out of the 25-26 season entirely, and the onus fell on teenager Cooper Flagg to carry a broken Mavs side. Meanwhile, Thompson continues to age, lose minutes, and see his points per game go down.
“Although it hasn’t gone our way, it’s still awesome being out there. Like, I love the game. I love the game with all of my heart,” Thompson told Mavs reporter Noah Weber.
In his two seasons with the Mavs, Thompson has gone a combined 62-90. When he signed with the team, they were coming off an NBA Finals appearance and believed he could be the addition that would take them over the top. But now, they’re clearly rebuilding.
Klay Thompson on how he has handled the last two seasons not going as he expected in Dallas:
“You want to win. 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…I love… pic.twitter.com/EwpFfEo0wl
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) March 19, 2026
Thompson still wants to win as much as he can, but he also recognizes how hard that is in the NBA. “You want to win. You want to win every chance you can. Especially in this league, it’s really hard to win,” the four-time champ stated.
The Mavs know how hard it’s been to win as of late. Since January 24th, they’ve gone a putrid 4-21. If the season ended today, they’d be the sixth-worst team in the NBA. In a loaded Draft, it’s clear where their sights are set.
At the end of the day, Thompson may act like everything is awesome. After all, he seems happy ever since he found romance with musical artist Megan Thee Stallion. But if someone gave him truth serum, we’re almost positive he’d say he wishes he had stayed in Golden State. He doesn’t fit with Dallas right now, and the Warriors are a dying dynasty without him.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Mavs keep Thompson through the offseason or try to trade him. He’s an expensive player who averages just 11.9 points per game while shooting 39% from the field. Maybe we see him reunite with the Warriors to end his career.
