Ahead of this year's NBA trade deadline, Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison made arguably the most criticized blockbuster trade in sports history.
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While franchise player Luka Doncic is no longer on the team, the star in which they traded for, Anthony Davis, got injured in his first game. And now Kyrie Irving has been diagnosed with a torn ACL.
That is, with their whole frontcourt banged up, Daniel Gafford (MCL sprain) and Derek Lively II (ankle), one of the only players left on the once-star studded team is Klay Thompson.
Kyrie- Hurt
AD- Hurt
Luka- TradedKlay Thompson on the Mavs: pic.twitter.com/F19n0hAaWq
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) March 4, 2025
That is to say, the 4x NBA champion, left the Warriors in free agency this past offseason to join the Mavs on a three-year/$50 million deal.
And at the time, Klay's dad, Mychal Thompson, vocally had expressed disappointed about this decision, as he was hoping his son would follow in his footsteps and join the LA Lakers, a team in which he played for, 1987-1991.
Needless to say, Klay probably wishes he listened to his father, as he presumably would likely be teammates with Luka Doncic now if that were the case.
“I told him with AD coming, he still has a chance. Then he got hurt, Gafford and Lively got hurt. Klay is stuck in purgatory now. I think they’re going to lose 10 in a row.”
— Mychal Thompson
(via @ESPNLosAngeles)pic.twitter.com/PPFahFUQyV
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 6, 2025
"He thought with Luka & Kyrie, he had a chance to get back to the Finals," Mychal said about his son. "Obviously, Luka left, I told him, 'When AD's coming, you still got a chance to the Finals because AD's that good, & he's hurt. And then Gafford got hurt. And then Lively got hurt. Klay is stuck in purgatory right now & if they hold the 10th seed, that'll be the story in the NBA right now. I think they're gonna lose 10 in a row."
In the Mavs' most recent blowout 137-107 loss vs. the Bucks, Klay put up 28 points, which may emphasize his dad's point.
Klay Thompson and Dwight Powell get subbed out into the empty Mavericks bench. pic.twitter.com/6zxHeOV9H0
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 6, 2025
So far on the season, Klay has averaged 14.1 points per game (41.2% 3PT).
All in all, if Klay requests a trade out of Dallas ahead of next season, it may be the nail in the coffin.
In what many are blaming Nico Harrison for, the team that went to the NBA Finals nine months ago, is now on the verge of possibly being in rebuild mode.
Related: Klay Thompson's Father, Former Player And Lakers Broadcaster, Disappointed That He Chose Mavs