Gilbert Arenas Feels Klay Thompson Is the Missing Piece to Mavericks’ Puzzle After Messy Warriors Contract Saga

The Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson‘s to-and-fro scenario finally ended. Seemingly, the franchise wanted to retain the 5x All-Star, but not on his terms. Warriors had reportedly offered a two-year, $48 million extension to Thompson last season, which he rejected. And now the 4x NBA champ has landed with the Mavericks — something that Gilbert Arenas believes could be a good fit for the 4x NBA champ.

In an earlier instance, Gil had said Klay should stick with the Warriors, as he would have a limited role on any other team. Arenas’ reasoning for this was that Thompson depends on teammates and comes off the screen to shoot. However, he had suggested back then as well that Mavs and Suns are two destinations Big Smokey could still fit in. Now that one of his suggested teams actually landed Thompson, Gil said on his podcast, “It’s great. I mean when you watch the way Dallas play, those shots that were coming to the corners. Now that’s Klay.”

Well, Thompson may be 34 now and had two significant leg injuries, but he still has plenty to offer the Mavericks in their quest to return to the NBA Finals. Especially with his 3-point shooting that is believed to be maximized with defensive attention created by Doncic and Irving.

Away from his right fit for the team with Tim Hardaway Jr.’s exit, the Gilbert Arenas crew had one concern: Thompson’s jersey number. Kenyon Martin pointed out the 4x NBA champ will now have to look for another jersey number. Notably, Thompson donned the number 11 jersey during his run with the Warriors, but the number belongs to Irving in the Mavs. And as big a star as Thompson could be, it still wouldn’t prove an ideal situation to replace Irving for the number. 

Another option for the ex-GSW star could have been number 1 — his high school jersey number — but that too is taken by Mavs’ Jaden Hardy. It is worth mentioning all of this comes after Thompson agreed on a three-year, $50 million deal with Mavs, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowskia. As for the GSW, the team got two second-round picks in the trade, which the Mavs acquired by sending Josh Green to Charlotte Hornets. However, more than the jersey number complication, what does the 5x All Star bring to the table for Mavs?

Does Klay Thompson solve all the Dallas Mavericks’ problems?

Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, and Dereck Lively II. The Mavs most likely starting roster looks strong enough on paper. The Irving-Doncic partnership already led the team to the NBA finals this season. But their biggest issue turned out to be a weak defense. And now the team has also lost Derrick Jones Jr. to the Clippers.

With their last season’ best defender gone, the team’s defensive situation seems more concerning. And Thompson cannot solve this issue entirely. The 5x All Star is no longer the defender he used to be during his prime years in Warriors.

However, Big Smokey surely provides an offensive boost to the Mavs with his addition. Even in a down year this season, Klay Thompson averaged 17.9 points with 38.7 percent 3-point shooting. Moreover, Doncic and Irving could further their isolation-heavy playing styles with Thompson’s elite 3-point shooting in place as attested by Dallas News.

Notably, Thompson has never shot below 38% from 3 in his 13 NBA seasons. Apart from this, the 5x All Star has converted on at least 40% from beyond the arc in 11 of his 13 seasons (except for 2023-24 and 2021-22).

Nonetheless, he will still need to make adaptations according to Mavericks style of gameplay.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.