No. 2: Dallas Mavericks
The ink was hardly dry on the box score from the Golden State Warriors' drubbing at the hands of the Sacramento Kings when a rumor leaked that the Dallas Mavericks would be interested in adding Klay Thompson this summer
The Mavericks are an interesting addition to this list, and certainly a surprising team to be so interested in Klay so quickly. Yet when you look a little closer, the addition of Thompson makes a lot of sense.
Luka Doncic is an offensive maestro and is capable of hitting his teammates at the perfect time for them to take an open 3-pointer. The Mavericks have largely taken advantage of Luka's ability to surround him with middling-to-poor shooters who bring defense and rebounding, trusting in Doncic to elevate those around him.
What if the Mavericks instead added an elite shooter in Thompson? Suddenly, the floor opens up for Doncic on his forays into the paint. If defenses continue to collapse to him, suddenly Thompson isn't simply able to hit 37 percent of his wide-open 3-pointers; he can hit those at a 45% clip or better, spiking the threat level and bringing the Mavericks' offense to an entirely new level.
Dallas doesn't project to have cap space this summer, so they will need to work out a sign-and-trade with the Warriors. They have a number of movable salaries and will have some draft capital to include as well, and it's more realistic for the Warriors to work out something with Dallas than one of the LOs Angeles teams. If the Mavericks truly want Klay, there is a path to getting him.