Klay Thompson Gets Candid on Time With Dallas Mavericks

Klay Thompson is now a member of the Miami Heat. He agreed to a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks to get out of his contract a year early, leaving more than half of what he was owed in order to do so.

It's safe to say that the tenure that he had with the Mavericks is not what anyone expected, and he admitted as much to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“It wasn’t fun winning 26 games, but I did make great relationships in Dallas, so I’m thankful that I made great friends for life out there,” Thompson said to Nehm. “It was tough, them coming off a finals appearance to a rebuild, but you can only control as much as you can, and I’m proud of the time I did have in Dallas."

Sep 28, 2026; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Klay Thompson (11) poses for a photo during media day at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As Thompson noted, the Mavericks went just 26-56 last season after making a run to the NBA Finals two years ago.

That's the reason he initially signed in Dallas: to be the missing piece to a team that was three games away from a championship.

Thompson thought he'd be eating off easy looks generated from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the remainder of his career. When everyone was healthy, it looked like it could be a championship team.

However, Doncic dealt with some knee issues early in the 2024-25 season, then suffered a severe calf strain on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That was the last time we'd see Doncic in a Mavericks uniform, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February for return of Anthony Davis and Max Christie.

Oct 24, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) and guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrate during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Irving tore his ACL a month later, and he still has not appeared for the Mavericks since. He should be back in preseason action on Sunday, though.

Davis, the primary return for Doncic, played just 29 games in the span of a year due to various injuries before being traded to the Washington Wizards in a salary dump.

Had it not been for the Mavericks lucking out and landing the first overall pick a year ago to get Cooper Flagg, they would've been far worse than the 26-56 record they had last season.

Thompson said that he's happy to be back on a team clearly focused on winning a championship, as the Miami Heat have an interesting star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Whether they have enough depth to actually compete is a different discussion.

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