It's fair to say neither Klay Thompson or the Golden State Warriors are in an ideal situation right now, having parted ways less than two years ago in the 2024 offseason.
Warriors fans would be frustrated, angry and disappointed with the fate of their own team, but they should also feel those same emotions when it comes to Thompson's career and, quite frankly, the irrelevant nature of it at the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavericks are wasting the remainder of Klay Thompson's career
He might not do it as regularly as during his prime years at the Warriors and prior to his two major leg injuries, but Thompson is still capable of scoring outbursts as he proved against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Tuesday.
Thompson scored 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench against the red-hot Hawks, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor and 5-of-11 from 3-point range. It wasn't enough for Dallas as Atlanta recorded its seventh-straight victory with a 124-112 win thanks to a 29-21 fourth-quarter.
Tuesday's performance was the eighth time Thompson has scored at least 20 points this season, proving he's still capable of being a dangerous sharpshooter despite his redueced role as a bench player.
Unfortunately, that capability is being wasted on a Mavericks team who are prioritizing lottery position and the development of their young players (primarily Cooper Flagg). Dallas signalled that by trading Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards before last month's deadline, while star guard Kyrie Irving will wind up missing the entire season rather than returning from his torn ACL in the final months of the campaign.
Thompson wouldn't be accustomed to such a position where his team isn't even fighting for the Play-In, having won four titles with the Warriors, making the NBA Finals on six occasions, and multiple more trips to the playoffs.
Klay Thompson's contract may have prevented mid-season trade
It would be nice if Thompson was playing relevant basketball with a contender right now, but the contract he signed with the Mavericks to depart the Warriors is likely what prevented a potential mid-season trade.
There were even murmurs of a potential Thompson buyout following the deadline, but the fact he has a $17.5 million deal for next season would have made an agreement between player and franchise incredibly difficult.
Combine Thompson with Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney who are racking up DNPs in New Orleans, and there won't be many notable former Warrior players to keep tabs on deep into the season.