With the Dallas Mavericks going down the youthful path and not looking like a contender anytime soon, there's an obvious sentimental reason why Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors should put their differences aside to reunite this offseason.
Yet beyond the sentimental reason which one or both parties may not see as significant, there's also a clear on-court reason why Thompson may be very valuable to the Warriors again after Moses Moody's devastating torn patellar injury late in the season.
Klay Thompson reunion makes sense after Moses Moody injury
After Moody went down against Thompson and the Mavericks on March 23, Golden State closed the final 10 games of the regular season by ranking just 15th in 3-point attempts, having ranked a clear first on the season overall.
They also ranked 20th in 3-point percentage during those final 10 games, sealing their fate as the 10th-seed in the Western Conference standings which ultimately saw them miss the playoffs despite one Play-In Tournament victory.
Despite appearing in only 60 games, Moody took the third-most threes on the team for the season. His 40.1% from beyond the arc wasn't just a career-high, but also led the Warriors for any player to have taken more than 30 threes on the season.
With Moody likely to miss the majority of next season, how do Golden State replace a 6'6" wing who can shoot 40% from three on high volume? That sounds exactly like Thompson, making a potential reunion all the more legitimate from a purely basketball standpoint.
Warriors might find it tough to trade for Klay Thompson
As much as Thompson might be a nice addition while Moody remains out, it's highly unlikely that the Warriors would be willing to trade their young wing and his $12.5 million salary as a means to getting towards Thompson's contract.
In fact, given they've only got six players currently contracted on the roster, it's hard to see Golden State having the means of acquiring Thompson unless it's in a similar kind of sign-and-trade scenario that saw him depart the franchise in the first place.
The most ideal outcome would be if Thompson was actually bought out with a year remaining on his contract, something that's very unlikely but not impossible to envision. That would allow the 5x All-Star to enter free agency and potentially reunite with the Warriors through that pathway.
Not only would Thompson's return be a heart-warming one, but Moody's injury means Thompson could actually carve out a meaningful role after averaging 11.7 points on 38.3% 3-point shooting with the Mavericks this season.
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