Klay Thompson leaves Golden State for Dallas...franchise-record signing
Klay Thompson leaves Golden State for Dallas...franchise-record signing
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NBA's top shooter Klay Thompson (34) will leave the Golden State Warriors, where he has been for 13 years, to wear the Dallas Mavericks uniform. The Athletic, a U.S. sports media outlet, reported on the 2nd, citing multiple league sources.
Thompson will be transferred through sign-and-trade. Golden State will receive Dallas' 2031 second-round pick and the lowest ranking second-round pick among the Denver Nuggets-Philadelphia 76ers in 2025.
Thompson, who was drafted 11th in the first round in 2011, has made the Big Three along with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and won four NBA championships. He was also recognized as the best shooter in the league, having been named the All-Star for five times. Last season, Thompson played 77 games and averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Notably, he finished fourth in the league with 268 successful three-point shots.
The Golden State said in a statement, "Thompson's joy and happiness to Warriors fans, Bay Area residents, and fans around the world was tremendous," adding, "His legacy will survive forever."
However, the process of separation between Thompson and Golden State was not smooth. The club tried to negotiate with Thompson after first dealing with the recruitment of another player, but Thompson accepted it as an insincere attitude. Thompson is said to be unhappy that he has been placed as the club's second priority.
The breakup was a huge shock to the entire league. Given Thompson's deep relationship with the Warriors, this is an unexpected result. However, the team's failure to advance to the playoffs seems to have resulted in sluggish contract talks over the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, for Dallas, Thompson is considered the biggest free agent signing in the franchise's history. Although Thompson is not his old skills, he is still a star player with 20-point scoring and a three-point shooting success rate of more than 40 percent. Dallas has a superstar guard duo named Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. With Thompson added, the team formed the best offensive team in the league. However, strengthening his defense capability remains a challenge. 안전 슬롯사이트
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers were in trouble when they failed to recruit Thompson. This is because Thompson, James Harden, and Jonas Valenschnas, who LeBron James wanted to recruit even at the expense of a salary cut, all went to other teams.
In response, the Lakers are considering recruiting Derma DeRozan as a non-taxable mid-level exception. Gary Trent Jr. and Buddy Hield are also mentioned as candidates. However, as the Lakers have to sign guarantee contracts with 15 players after James re-signs, they are forced to trade players.