As the Golden State Warriors survey the NBA landscape to see how they can make another title run, perhaps they can look to the past by using Jonathan Kuminga's contract to make a nostalgic swap with the Dallas Mavericks for Klay Thompson.
Unlikely? Sure. But this Warriors team is still looking for answers as it sits at 16-15 on the season. The team could use more shooting to help out Stephen Curry who, despite still playing at a high level, cannot carry the team on his back to victory every single game.
Warriors should make nostalgic trade to bring back Klay Thompson
The Warriors just saw Thompson on Christmas as the Mavericks visited Chase Center to take on the Warriors. It was not the same Klay who put up 37 points in one quarter at the height of his powers, nor even the same version who helped the Warriors win a championship in 2022 to cement their dynasty.
No, this is a different Klay Thompson who now comes off the bench and is not the same potent scoring threat that he once was. But why not try to run it back one more time?
There are currently rumors flying around about Golden State exploring a trade with Dallas for Anthony Davis, but that sort of move just doesn't feel right. The Warriors would have to part with either Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler to make a trade like that happen, and those two guys are simply too important to let go for an incredibly injury-prone player.
That is why moving Kuminga in exchange for Thompson could make sense for both sides, so long as a third team can get involved to make the money work. The Warriors need shooting, and even if Klay is not the same threat he once was, perhaps playing alongside his fellow Splash Brother again could rekindle his high-scoring ways.
As for the Mavericks, they have to be thinking about a full-scale rebuild with a record of 12-20 on the year. After trading away Luke Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and with general manager Nico Harrison, the architect of that deal, being let go, it's probably time to start over and build around Cooper Flagg.
Why not add a dynamic young player with upside like Kuminga? Let him play 30 minutes or more per night to see if they have anything special in the 23-year-old who unfortunately has never panned out with the Warriors.
Who knows if it would work out, but with head coach Steve Kerr talking about Golden State's "fading dynasty," why not bring back one of the key pillars for one final run.