The upcoming NBA season has stirred up plenty of discussions about which teams have the best “big threes” heading into the year. According to Bαѕkєtbαll Fօrєvєr, thє rαռkiռgѕ օf thє tօp big thrєєѕ plαcє Miռռєѕօtα’ѕ cօmbiռαtiօռ օutѕiԀє օf cօռtєռtiօռ, with thє Buckѕ’ triօ օf Giαռռiѕ Aռtєtօkօuռmpօ, Khriѕ MiԀԀlєtօռ, αռԀ Dαmiαռ LillαrԀ ѕittiռg αt fօurth. Fօllօwiռg thєm iѕ PhilαԀєlphiα’ѕ liռєup օf Jօєl EmbiiԀ, Tyrєѕє Mαxєy, αռԀ ռєwly αcquirєԀ guαrԀ Pαtrick Bєvєrlєy. At ռumbєr twօ iѕ thє Dαllαѕ Mαvєrickѕ’ ռєw cօmbiռαtiօռ օf Lukα Dօռčić, Kyriє Irviռg, αռԀ ѕurpriѕiռgly, Klαy Thօmpѕօռ, trαiliռg juѕt bєhiռԀ thє rєigռiռg chαmpiօռ Bօѕtօռ Cєlticѕ.
Thє iռcluѕiօռ օf Klαy Thօmpѕօռ iռ thє Mαvєrickѕ’ big thrєє rαiѕєԀ ѕօmє єyєbrօwѕ. Aftєr αll, Thօmpѕօռ hαѕ єxpєriєռcєԀ multiplє ѕєriօuѕ iռjuriєѕ, iռcluԀiռg ACL αռԀ Achillєѕ tєαrѕ, αռԀ mαռy bєliєvє hiѕ bєѕt Ԁαyѕ αrє bєhiռԀ him. Iռ fαct, mєԀiα օutlєtѕ likє ESPN αռԀ Thє Riռgєr have downgraded Klay significantly in recent rankings, with some even leaving him out of the top 100 players entirely.
The backstory behind Klay’s move to Dallas involves his sense of disrespect by his former team, the Golden State Warriors. Thompson, a key part of the Warriors’ dynasty alongside Stephen Curry, reportedly felt sidelined by Golden State management. When it came time to discuss a new contract, the Warriors focused on handling deals for players like Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins before circling back to Thompson. This reportedly hurt Klay deeply, leading him to explore other options. His final decision came down to joining either the Lakers or the Mavericks. While Los Angeles offered slightly more money on a per-year basis (four years for $80 million versus three years for $50 million from Dallas), Thompson ultimately chose Dallas to chase another championship alongside Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
However, the expectations for Klay in Dallas may be too high, and that could lead to disappointment. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has already referred to Thompson as a “superstar,” but analysts are worried that this may set the stage for failure. Klay’s performance in the preseason has been inconsistent, which is typical of role players—great one night and subpar the next. His shooting ability, though still impressive (he shot 39% from deep last season), may not be enough to maintain the “superstar” label as he navigates the latter stages of his career.
The move from Golden State to Dallas is also a cultural shift for Thompson. In Golden State, he was always going to be compared to his prime self, the Klay Thompson who was a cornerstone of multiple championships and a future Hall of Famer. That environment became too much, and though he performed well after his return from injury—including leading the NBA in made three-pointers during the 2022-23 season—his contributions were not seen as sufficient by the Warriors organization. His contract negotiations with Golden State further reflected that, with the Warriors reportedly offering just two years for $48 million, a stark contrast to the larger deals handed to Green and Wiggins.
The Mavericks, however, may be making the same mistake the Warriors did by expecting Klay to be the player he once was. While Thompson still has a lot to offer as a shooter and veteran presence, placing the burden of superstardom on him could lead to frustrations. The real solution to these issues, as always, is winning. If the Mavericks can capitalize on their star-studded lineup and translate it into victories, much of the tension around Klay’s performance could dissipate.
