Thompson praises Kyrie Irving but Warriors’ career regrets emerge (Imagn).

Klay Thompson’s departure from the Golden State Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks is one of the biggest stories in free agency so far. After the move was finalised, old footage surfaced showing his biggest regret involving one of his new teammates.

For most of the 2010s, the Warriors competed in the NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. While Golden State held the upper hand for the majority of the game, the Cavs made history in 2016. Along with rallying from a 3-1 deficit, Kyrie Irving hit one of the biggest shots in Finals in that series.

Following Klay Thompson’s signing with the Mavericks, people dug up an old interview of his from the “All The Smoke” podcast. During the show, he acknowledges that his biggest regret in his career was letting Steph Curry guard Irving on that play in Game 7.

 

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Fast forward to the present, and Thompson and Irving have joined forces in Dallas. Along with Luka Doncic, they will try to help the Mavs win a championship after falling short last season.

Kyrie Irving played a factor in Klay Thompson joining the Dallas Mavericks.
Early in free agency, it seemed clear that Klay Thompson would not return to the Golden State Warriors. The Los Angeles Lakers were one among the teams that shown considerable interest in signing him. There were even rumours that LeBron James would accept a significant pay cut to make such a move possible.

 

Knowing that the Lakers were going to make an impressive pitch, the Mavericks pulled out all the stops to bring Thompson to Dallas. Despite their longstanding rivalry, Kyrie Irving reportedly played a role in the signing.

Having played with Klay Thompson for Team USA, the Mavs brought in Irving for the free-agent meeting. Dallas did so in hopes of countering the Lakers, who likely had LeBron present to speak with the former All-Star and champion.

The Mavericks appeared to benefit from Irving’s presence, as Thompson chose to join with them over LA. Dallas was three wins away from a championship last year, which was most likely a contributing reason to his choice.

Thompson should immediately be a solid complementing component in Dallas. With the attention Irving and Luka Doncic draw from defenses, it should result in a plethora of open looks for the veteran marksman. Furthermore, his championship experience should benefit Dallas as they aim to compete in 2025.

While his numbers have taken a slight dip, Thompson is still a productive player in the NBA. Last season for the Warriors, he averaged 17.9 points on 38.7% shooting from beyond the arc.