Klay Thompson

Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Marshall, Thompson, Kleber, Edwards

October 2nd, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The left calf contusion that forced Mavericks star Luka Doncic to miss the second day of training camp is considered to be minor, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The team will give Doncic a week to rest before reevaluating his condition, which means he’ll miss a “Fan Jam” open practice on Sunday as well as the preseason opener Monday against Memphis. Barring any unexpected complications, he should be back soon after that.

“He got hit in the calf,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Reported it tight yesterday so they went and got an MRI. We’ll reevaluate him in a week and see where he stands.”

Curtis recalls that Doncic suffered a strain in his left calf last October when the Mavs were in Spain. He was limited to five minutes in an exhibition matchup with Real Madrid, his former team, and sat out the last game of the preseason, but was ready for opening night.

Doncic’s teammates don’t seem concerned about having him miss a week or more of training camp.

“I don’t think it’s going to be hard because when he’s on the court, it’s easy to play with him,” P.J. Washington said. “For us, it’s just learning our spacing and learning where we need to be. He’s going to be Luka, so we’re not really worried about him. It’s just us getting in our right spots, making sure we know the plays and defenses and all of that type of stuff.”

Sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) that there are no concerns about Doncic’s availability for the October 24 opener.

There’s more from Dallas:

The Mavericks signed Naji Marshall to be a defensive stopper after losing Derrick Jones in free agency, but Marshall may provide an offensive lift as well, Curtis states in a separate story. Klay Thompson was raving about Marshall’s shot-making after the first day of camp. “Naji played incredible,” Thompson said. “The guy was making floaters, pull-ups. I thought he played really well. I was impressed with Naji. He scored a couple of times on me. His jumper was fluid and his mid-range was nice.”
Thompson had to “get the nerves out” in his first day of training camp with a new team after spending 13 years with the Warriors, Curtis adds in another piece. “It feels like transferring schools,” he said, “but it’s a feeling you want to embrace because it’s so rare to get those butterflies as a player. It’s awesome.”
Maxi Kleber and Kessler Edwards were both held out of the start of camp, although Kidd didn’t provide a reason, according to Curtis. Kleber missed much of last season’s playoff run with a right shoulder AC joint separation.

Mavs Notes: Lively, Gafford, Thompson, Morris, Dinwiddie

October 1st, 2024 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Daniel Gafford was the Mavericks‘ starting center down the stretch and in the playoffs last season, but second-year big man Dereck Lively has a chance to overtake him for that role this fall. As Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) writes, head coach Jason Kidd has suggested Gafford and Lively could compete for the job, but said on Monday, “We’ll probably start D-Live with the first group and see how that goes.”

Lively’s teammates are excited to see the strides he makes in year two after his All-Rookie season in 2023/24.

“Just seeing him this offseason, the workouts and pickup games that we’ve played, he’s in really great shape and he’s gonna continue where he left off,” forward/center Maxi Kleber said. “It’s a privilege to play with him.”

While it’s possible Gafford will end up coming off the bench in his first full season in Dallas, both centers figure to play key roles for the Mavericks in 2024/25, so the veteran isn’t worried about whether or not he retains his starting job.

“When it comes to the anticipation of me and D-Live, I just feel like we can be two good old cowboys out here. Doing our thing, just having fun, catching lobs,” Gafford said. “We just come in every day and make each other better. … I get that somebody will have to start at the end of the day, but I don’t think we’re gonna make a big deal out of it.”

Here’s more on the Mavericks:

Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving expressed excitement on Monday about the arrival of veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Doncic said the spacing that Thompson will help create is “going to be perfect for us,” while Irving added, “I feel like our dreams (of a championship) can be possible because he’s here now.” Informed of his new teammates’ comments, the former Warrior was “visibly appreciative,” Vardon writes. “It means a lot,” Thompson said. “It gives me confidence to keep working hard and be myself. … It really means a lot that they believe those things, because I do too and I am excited to get to work.”
Markieff Morris told reporters on Monday that he was trying to get twin brother Marcus Morris on the Mavericks’ roster this offseason, but it didn’t pan out, tweets Townsend. Marcus is once again a free agent and is looking for a new NBA home after being cut by New York, but if Dallas retains Markieff along with its 14 players on guaranteed contracts, there wouldn’t be room on the regular season roster for anyone else.
After choosing the Lakers over the Mavericks on the buyout market last season, Spencer Dinwiddie is happy to be back in Dallas this fall, writes Sasha Richie of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Dinwiddie played some of the best basketball of his career during a previous stint in Dallas from 2022-23, averaging 17.1 points per game with a .404 3PT%. “Probably the most consistent basketball I’ve played has been in a Mavs jersey. The farthest I’ve gone in the playoffs — the Western Conference Finals — was in a Mavs jersey,” Dinwiddie said. “These guys are my friends. I’m still familiar with over half the team.”

Texas Notes: Klay, Doncic, Adams, Rockets

September 29th, 2024 at 4:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban recently spoke with Shannon Sharpe on his Club Shay Shay podcast (Twitter link) about a variety of topics, including Klay Thompson‘s to depart the Warriors for Dallas in free agency.

“Klay Thompson’s got a lot to prove,” Cuban said. “Klay was ready for a move. All the grief he got last year – particularly the way it ended. So the timing was right.”

Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50MM deal with Dallas as part of a six-team sign-and-trade.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

Five-time All-NBA Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has had a busier-than-normal offseason in 2024. Since guiding Dallas to its first NBA Finals appearance in 13 years, Doncic suited up for the Slovenian national team for the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, but was eliminated by Greece before making the cut. Doncic subsequently remained in his homeland to prep prior to the Mavericks’ own training camp, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal details at his Substack (subscription required).
Veteran Rockets center Steven Adams didn’t suit up for Houston last season while recovering from a right knee surgery he underwent while he was a member of the Grizzlies. Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle explores how the 31-year-old will be deployed in Ime Udoka‘s system in 2024/25. As Feigen writes, Alperen Sengun enjoyed a breakout run last year and seems likely to preserve his starting spot, and he and Adams likely won’t play together often. Still, Adams – who is on an expiring $12.6MM salary – could earn increased playing time in certain matchups.
The Rockets finished with a solid 41-41 record, but in a talented Western Conference it wasn’t enough to even make the play-in tournament. Instead, Houston finished with the West’s No. 11 seed. As Feigen writes in another story for The Chronicle, team owner Tilman Fertitta hasn’t clearly expressed what would constitute a successful season for the club in 2024/25, declaring that he has “high expectations” but not explicitly stating that he expects a playoff berth.

Southwest Notes: Monroe, Pelicans, T. Allen, Klay, Mavs

September 25th, 2024 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA center Greg Monroe is joining the Pelicans‘ coaching staff in a player development role, according to Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

The seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft, Monroe averaged 13.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest in 646 regular season games across 10 NBA seasons with the Pistons, Bucks, Suns, Celtics, Raptors, Sixers, Timberwolves, Wizards, and Jazz. He last played in the league during the 2021/22 season, when he spent time with four different teams from December to April. The 34-year-old has also competed in Germany, Russia, China, and Puerto Rico.

As Clark observes, Monroe is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana who attended high school in the New Orleans area and won Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball Award in 2007 and 2008 before playing college ball at Georgetown. Monroe told The Times-Picayune in 2023 that he was living in Metairie – which is where the Pelicans’ practice facility is located – when he wasn’t playing overseas.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Word broke back in May that the Grizzlies would retire Tony Allen‘s No. 9 jersey during the 2024/25 season. Now there’s an official date for the ceremony. According to a press release from the team, Allen’s No. 9 will be retired on Saturday, March 15 after the Grizzlies’ game against Miami. The former defensive standout will be the third player in team history to have his jersey hung in the rafters, joining Zach Randolph (No. 50) and Marc Gasol (No. 33).
Appearing on The TK Show with Tim Kawakami (Spotify link), Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he believes Klay Thompson will benefit from a fresh start with the Mavericks, as Grant Afseth of The Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “We all wanted him to stay. I wanted Klay to be a Warrior for life, it felt like the right thing. (But) you never really know what the right thing is for someone else, only that person knows,” Kerr said. “And I think by the end of the year, I think Klay knew for his own sake that he wanted to leave. … I’m happy for him, I think this will be a great move. He’s going to play for a great team, two high-level creators, he should get a lot of open shots. I think sometimes a career change, a late-career change can refresh and recharge you.”
Although the addition of Thompson might increase the Mavericks‘ ceiling in 2024/25, repeating as Western Conference champions won’t be an easy feat, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com, who looks at some of the challenges standing in the way of another trip to the NBA Finals for Dallas.

Klay Thompson: Mavericks “Can Do Something Special”

September 15th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Klay Thompson is preparing for his first season with the Mavericks by immersing himself in the team’s history and culture, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoop Journal. That experience continued Saturday at the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic, where Thompson participated alongside franchise legends such as Nowitzki, Steve Nash and J.J. Barea.

“It’s a great opportunity to be a part of this and kind of get myself ingratiated into everything,” Thompson said. “I grew up watching Dirk and Steve, so I have great respect for those guys. I just wanted to get a feel for the city, and it’s fun to be out here. Tennis is a great sport. I’m just excited to play today and hopefully hit some good shots.”

At age 34, Thompson is beginning a new phase of his career after agreeing to a free agent deal with Dallas this summer and being acquired in a complex six-team trade. He won four titles with the Warriors and is counting on continuing that success with the Mavericks after their run to the NBA Finals last season.

According to Afseth, Thompson’s efforts to bond with his new teammates included a boat trip to Catalina Island.

“We had a great crossing; the water was beautiful that day, the sun was out, and it was awesome,” Thompson said. “We did a lot of fun things, whether it was diving off the boat, riding jet skis, or just swimming to shore. It was such a beautiful day, and I think those moments as teammates are the ones you cherish for life. Now it’s go time, so we don’t have as much leisurely time to do that, but I’ll cherish that memory forever. That’s the beauty of being a veteran—trying to show the younger guys another side of life that we don’t get to experience as much once the season starts. So that was really, really fun.”

“Go time” includes the start of training camp in a couple weeks, leading into a season where the Mavericks are expected to once again be title contenders. Thompson brings another element to the team as one of the top three-point shooters in NBA history, and he figures to get plenty of open looks playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Even though Thompson’s game has declined somewhat due to age and a pair of serious injuries, he remains a prolific outside shooter that opposing defenses will have to account for. He averaged 17.9 PPG in 77 games for the Warriors last season while connecting at 43.2% from the field and 38.7% from three-point range.

To learn more about the Mavericks franchise, Thompson watched videos of the 2011 championship team that surprised the Heat in the Finals. He marveled at the chemistry that group displayed and hopes to emulate it this season.

“I’m excited; it’s a whole new chapter of my career that has the potential to be really special,” he said. “The team was so close last year—three wins away from a championship—so I know we have the ingredients for success. We just have to stay together and build week by week. I know we can do something special, and that’s why I’m here early, just to get a feel for the city and the lay of the land. And I’m having fun while doing it.”

Southwest Notes: Thompson, Jackson, Wembanyama, Thompson

September 12th, 2024 at 9:34am CST by Dana Gauruder

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka says that second-year swingman Amen Thompson stands out among the players that look stronger heading into training camp, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Thompson is ready to have a much improved season after appearing in 62 games last season and averaging 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 22.4 minutes per night as a rookie.

“I feel a lot different,” Thompson said. “Just getting stronger, getting faster, getting more athletic. Just a lot of growth this summer, and I feel like that’s translated to the court.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Grizzlies forward GG Jackson underwent foot surgery on Sept. 4 and Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal spoke with an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon to get an estimated timeline for when Jackson might get back on the court. The expert believes a three-month recovery period sounds reasonable. “Three months is a pretty safe number,” Dr. Kenneth Jung said. “He’s just got to be able to get into basketball-shape physically and mentally. Whether he’s back to full expectations of what the fans and coaches expect, that may be a different number.”
Big things are expected of Victor Wembanyama in his second NBA season. The Spurs big man is the co-betting favorite with the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley to win the Most Improved Player award. Wembanyama is also the heavy favorite to take Defensive Player of the Year honors, according to Grant Afseth of DraftKings Network.
On his Substack page, Dallas Sports Journal, Afseth takes an in-depth look at how Klay Thompson can play off of Mavericks star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Afseth anticipates Thompson will significantly bolster the team’s offensive arsenal with his ability to stretch the floor and take quick-trigger shots, among other skills.

Southwest Notes: Cuban, Thompson, Grizzlies, Sheppard, Sochan

August 31st, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on The Roommates Show podcast (video link), Mark Cuban suggested that Klay Thompson might get better scoring opportunities with the Mavericks than he did during his years with the Warriors. Cuban explained that playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving should free up Thompson for plenty of open shots.

“Obviously the big addition was Klay,” Cuban said in addressing the team’s offseason moves. “Just somebody who you have to face guard, who’s going to make 40% (from three-point range), and we’re hoping, you know at Golden State he had to always be on the move. They had that motion offense where he was always coming off screens and running. We don’t do that, or not nearly as much, and sure we’ll run some of that action for him, but just standing in the corner, and standing in the wings, and just catch and shoot from Luka and Ky. Hopefully his life is going to be a lot easier.”

Following a trip to the NBA Finals, Dallas has worked to upgrade its roster this summer. Along with adding Thompson, the Mavs improved their perimeter depth by picking up Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie.

“We wanted to keep that defensive mindset, but we also wanted somebody that was going to be able to make a three,” Cuban added, “because Luka is always going to get you an open look, Kyrie is going to get you an open look or score on their own.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

DaMichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal examines the Grizzlies‘ options for their open roster spot after waiving Mamadi Diakite this week. Cole states that the team could either promote one of its two-way players, sign a free agent to improve the bench or keep the slot open for a move later in the season. Cole believes Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff are the two-way players with the best chance of receiving a standard contract, while center and point guard are the positions with the greatest need for more depth.
There’s been skepticism on whether Reed Sheppard will play enough on a deep Rockets team to be a serious Rookie of the Year candidate, but Tim McMahon stated on the Hoop Collective podcast that playing time shouldn’t be an issue (Twitter link from Chris Gorman). “He’ll be on the floor,” McMahon said. “I think he’ll play a significant role as a play-maker off the bench.”
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan wasn’t hurt in a one-vehicle crash last weekend, according to Raul Trey Lopez of The San Antonio Express-News. Sochan told police that he “lost control” of his $240K Porsche 911 GT3 RS before hitting a guardrail.

Mavs’ Kidd Credits Kyrie For Role In Recruiting Thompson

August 20th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the latest episode of NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dubs Talk podcast, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said the recruitment of free agent sharpshooter Klay Thompson this summer was a group effort, but singled out Mavs guard Kyrie Irving as having played a lead role, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

“When you talk about the recruitment, it was a lot of people that were involved in that. But one of the biggest players in that was Kai,” Kidd said. “Kai being able to, player to player, (detail) his experience of what Dallas has been like for him in two years and being able to tell Klay the honest truth of what he thinks can happen with Klay coming to Dallas.

Irving requested a trade out of Cleveland in 2017, then did the same in Boston in 2019 and Brooklyn in 2023. He was also at the center of a handful of off-court controversies during his time with the Nets. However, since arriving in Dallas, the eight-time All-Star is enjoying an “unprecedented level of stability and fulfillment,” Poole notes, making him an ideal candidate to sell a newcomer on the city and the organization.

“… I would love to say it was all me,” Kidd joked. “But it wasn’t. It was a team effort. But I think player-to-player – in this league, they all talk about their situations, and they all recruit one another – this was about Kai and Klay being able to talk. And I also believe Klay did his homework, just understanding the situation. It would have been an easy for him to stay (in California). So, he had to put in some effort of doing some homework to see what Dallas was all about.”

Although the Mavericks appeared in the NBA Finals this past spring, Irving is the only player on the roster besides Thompson with a championship under his belt (Markieff Morris, who is expected to re-sign with the Mavs, has also won a title). Kidd believes Thompson’s experience on the biggest stage – which includes four championships – will benefit Dallas as the team looks to win its first title since 2011.

“We truly believe that he gives us something that we haven’t had, a guy who’s not afraid to take the shot,” Kidd said of Thompson, per Poole. “He’s been in championship situations. He understands what it means. We believe that we’re building a championship team. And his being a veteran, his experience being in big games and then being able to play both ends, we truly believe that he’s going to make a lot of open shots for us and have fun. But, also, we’re going to lean on him because has won a championship. We’re going to need his advice and his leadership throughout this journey.”

According to veteran NBA reporters Marc Stein and Chris Haynes (Twitter links), several Mavericks players – including Thompson – are practicing together this week in Los Angeles. Irving is in attendance even though he can’t yet practice in full as he continues to recover from hand surgery — he’s doing limited work for now and remains on track to be cleared by the start of training camp.

Western Notes: Nuggets, Markkanen, Mavs, Thunder

August 5th, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It has been an eventful offseason for the Nuggets and The Athletic’s Tony Jones breaks down all the meaningful developments. They lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency but the front office is convinced Christian Braun can handle a larger role. The Nuggets are also encouraged by Julian Strawther‘s Summer League performances and think he’ll add much-needed shooting to the rotation.

The Nuggets believe Russell Westbrook will fortify their offense and they’ll also need free agent addition Dario Saric to produce in a backup frontcourt role, especially with first-rounder DaRon Holmes having suffered a torn Achilles during Summer League action. If Saric doesn’t deliver, the Nuggets could be forced to use Aaron Gordon as the de facto backup center, Jones writes.

We have more from the Western Conference:

If the Jazz plan on trading Lauri Markkanen, they’re certainly doing a good job hiding their intentions. Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post that the Jazz recently sent multiple coaching staff representatives to Finland to assist Markkanen in workouts with second-year guard Keyonte George. That gives the impression they’re not looking to deal their starting power forward, regardless of whether he signs an extension.
The Mavericks had a solid offseason with the addition of Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade with Golden State. They also signed free agents Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie and acquired Quentin Grimes in a trade. Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com takes a closer look at what each player could bring to the defending Western Conference champions.
The Thunder‘s front office is wise to keep a roster spot open on the 15-man roster, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated opines. Any free agent they could bring in now probably wouldn’t play much and keeping that spot open could facilitate a trade involving multiple players, Stiles notes. It could also make it easier to add a player in the buyout market during the season to fill a need.

Joe Lacob Reluctant To Trade Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski

July 27th, 2024 at 5:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are rumored to be among the teams with the most interest in trading for Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, but team owner Joe Lacob tells Tim Kawakami of The Athletic that it would be difficult to part with either Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski in any deal. Lacob says teams have inquired about both players, but he sees them as future franchise cornerstones.

“We’re extremely high (on Podziemski),” Lacob said. “By the way, so are a lot of other teams that are interested. We get a lot of calls on both him and JK. We do on Moses (Moody), as well, by the way. … I do believe that if you talk about Podz in particular, I said it at the Summer League, I think he has the potential to be an All-Star in this league. And I absolutely believe it. And so does everyone in our organization. I think that JK is in the same boat. He has the potential to be an All-Star in this league. The potential.”

Podziemski showed he was ready for a rotation role in his first season, averaging 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 74 games and finishing fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. Kuminga, who is extension-eligible this summer, has taken longer to develop his game, but he’s coming off a breakthrough season with career highs in virtually every category.

A recent report stated that Golden State hasn’t included Podziemski or Kuminga in its offer for Markannen, instead centering the package around Moody, other contracts and draft assets. That hasn’t been enough to sway Utah, which may not feel a need to move Markkanen before he becomes eligible to renegotiate and extend his contract on Aug. 6.

“I’m not going to get into specifics like that, there’s no way,” Lacob replied when asked if he would be willing to deal Podziemski. “(But) I don’t want to give him up, or JK. We love these guys. And Moses, Trayce (Jackson-Davis). These are good young players.”

Lacob offers more insights in the wide-ranging interview:

On a possible deal with Stephen Curry, who is eligible for a one-year, $62.6MM extension this summer that would push his contract through the 2026/27 season:

“We have not discussed it. He’s busy right now and he should stay busy and focused on that with the Olympics. But if he wants to talk about that, that’s up to him. He’s not said that at all, but if he wants to, we’ll certainly entertain that discussion. … Let’s put it this way, Steph Curry I fully anticipate he’ll be a Warrior for life. I thought Klay (Thompson) was going to be, too, but I was wrong.”

On Curry’s recent comments that he wouldn’t want to stay with the Warriors if they were to become a “bottom feeder”:

“From what I’ve heard, all he said was what you’d expect, I’d think, which is, ‘I want to win.’ And if we were a really bad team, I guess he would rethink, you know, whether he really wanted to finish his career here. But he didn’t expect — that’s not the case and he didn’t expect that to be the case. And certainly from any conversations I’ve had with Steph, and I’m pretty close to Steph, we talk a lot. I think we have a great relationship. I think he’s very comfortable with the path of the franchise and how hard we do try to put a great, as good a product on the court as we can.”

On the loss of Thompson, who had been an important part of the franchise since being drafted in 2011:

“To be frank and honest, Klay made the decision prior to the beginning of free agency and he informed us of it that his intention was to not come back. … He called me and said the same things you heard (at Klay’s Dallas news conference). Klay is an open book. He felt he needed for a variety of reasons to have a fresh start. I would love if Klay had been a Warrior for life. And under a fair and equitable basis, we wanted to try to achieve that very badly. We did achieve it with Draymond (Green) (last summer), a different situation. Steph’s under the contract. So we felt we on a path to do that. It just didn’t work out. … And we had to move on and accept that.”

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