After departing the Golden State Warriors last offseason, it was a year full of drama and largely disappointment for Klay Thompson in Dallas as the Mavericks failed to make the NBA playoffs.
Having shockingly dealt Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers just before the deadline, it's clear no Mavericks player is safe in Nico Harrison's desire to win a championship. That could now extend to moving on from Thompson just one year into a three-year deal, with Dallas linked to a potential replacement for the 5x All-Star.
Mavs interest in Jrue Holiday could see Klay Thompson on the move
According to NBA insider Marc Stein on Monday, the Mavericks are reportedly exploring pathways to see if they can acquire Jrue Holiday this offseason as the Boston Celtics look to manage their growing payroll situation.
Landing Holiday would be incredibly helpful for Dallas to try and bide time for Kyrie Irving to return from his ACL injury, but trading for the 2x All-Star also presents challenges given he still has three years and over $100 million on his contract.
With a healthy Irving, Holiday, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington, suddenly Thompson's role could become quite unclear. After coming off the bench for 14 games in his final season with Golden State, the 4x champion started all 72 of his games with Dallas despite shooting a career-low percentage from the floor.
It would therefore make sense that Thompson would be the major salary going out in a deal to match Holiday's $32.4 million contract for next season. That's just what Robby Kalland of CBS Sports has proposed in the wake of Stein's report, suggesting that a deal involving Thompson, Daniel Gafford and Brandon Williams makes the most sense.
It remains to be seen whether Thompson would then be flipped to a third team, or head straight to Boston which would be an ironic new home after the Warriors beat the Mavericks and the Celtics in their 2022 championship run.
His sharp-shooting threat could fit in well within Joe Mazulla's offensive system, with the Celtics having averaged nearly six 3-point attempts more per game than the second-ranked Warriors during the regular season.
Thompson has just over two years and $34 million remaining on his contract, having reportedly turned down more money from the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason to sign with Dallas. The 35-year-old averaged 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists this season, shooting 41.2% from the floor and 39.1% from 3-point range on nearly eight attempts per game.