After 13 seasons together, the famous “Splash Brothers” of the Golden State Warriors have officially disbanded. In early July 2024, Klay Thompson officially joined the Dallas Mavericks and is no longer a compatible player alongside Stephen Curry.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, this is a “sign and trade” deal between 3 parties, including the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets. Accordingly, Klay Thompson will join the Dallas Mavericks with a 3-year, 50 million contract, Charlotte Hornets will receive Josh Green from the Mavericks, while the details of the Golden State Warriors’ terms will be announced in the future.Why did Klay Thompson decide to leave the Golden State Warriors?Klay Thompson’s departure from the Golden State Warriors has been rumored for a long time, even before the 2024/25 season ended. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, there have been no negotiations between Klay Thompson and the team at CHASE Center, even before the NBA transfer market opens at the end of June 2024.

Klay Thompson has always been an irreplaceable pillar of the Golden State Warriors for the past 13 seasons. Together with Stephen Curry, he has become an extremely scary 3-point shooter, nicknamed the “Splash Brothers”. The two have won 4 NBA championships together in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

However, Klay Thompson’s relationship with the Golden State Warriors has not been so sweet recently. Two terrible injuries in succession, a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles tendon, forced Klay Thompson to sit out from 2019 to 2021. Although he still performed relatively well when he returned and brought home another championship, it was clear that Klay Thompson was no longer at his peak as before the injury. In the 2023/24 season, Klay Thompson even had a reduced role at times, as well as having too many disappointing matches when he could not score any points for himself.

Therefore, the Golden State Warriors are said to be not too keen on keeping Klay Thompson, despite the impact on the legendary “Splash Brothers” brand. They also do not want to give Klay Thompson too much of a salary, especially when this player received nearly 41 million USD for the terrible 2023/24 season.

In recent times, Klay Thompson is said to have had negotiations with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. However, the player 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1990 chose the Dallas Mavericks even though this team pays a lower salary, but the tax rate in Dallas and Texas is lower than that of Los Angeles in California.

Not to mention, the Dallas Mavericks are currently the runner-up in the NBA, as well as have ambitions to reach the throne in the following years. Playing alongside the young Luka Doncic also makes Klay Thompson more excited in his decision.

Klay Thompson(Getty Images)How will Klay Thompson play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the Dallas Mavericks?With the presence of Klay Thompson, the Dallas Mavericks have been able to greatly improve the team’s 3-point shooting ability. Although he has declined due to injuries and age, Klay Thompson is still one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. He has a 41.3% 3-point shooting percentage, the 6th most 3-point shots of all time, and holds the record for most 3-point shots in a game (14).

Even after a disappointing 2023/24 season, Klay Thompson still shot 38.7% from the 3-point line, a number that far exceeded the NBA average of 35.1%. In pure receiving and shooting situations, Klay Thompson’s number is 38.1%.

With Derrick Jones Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. gone, the Dallas Mavericks will need to add 3-point shooting ability. Klay Thompson is a nice upgrade for both, who have struggled to play under the pressure of the 2024 NBA Finals.

The prospect of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving making big plays to create space and then passing to Klay Thompson for a score is something many fans are thinking about in the 2024/25 season. However, the Dallas Mavericks will need to rely on Klay Thompson’s consistency, as well as build a defensive lineup to support him, as Klay Thompson is unlikely to be as good at defending as he was pre-2019.

Golden State Warriors’ Transfers After Klay Thompson’s DepartureTo replace Klay Thompson’s departure, the Golden State Warriors have decided to bring in De’Anthony Melton with a 1-year, $12.8 million contract. He will not be in the starting lineup, but De’Anthony Melton will be a quality 3-point shooter off the bench.

In addition, the Golden State Warriors are also actively looking for a partner to trade Andrew Wiggins. They are also said to be interested in Lauri Markkanen, the Finnish star who played extremely impressively for the Utah Jazz in the 2023/24 season. Previously, the Golden State Warriors also terminated the contract with Chris Paul to free up salary funds.

In the 2024/24 season, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody are likely to take on bigger roles after Klay Thompson is no longer with the CHASE Center team.