Klay Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks this summer to help Luka Doncic defend their Western Conference title.
That lasted about four months.
The Mavericks shocked the NBA world when general manager Nico Harrison traded their 25-year-old superstar to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick in a move that has drawn near-universal ire, and a special type of fury from Mavericks fans.
Hundreds of Mavericks fans staged a protest outside the American Airlines arena for their first game after trading Doncic, holding signs that said, “Fire Nico.” The next game, multiple fans got ejected for yelling the same words and former primary owner Mark Cuban reportedly cursed out fans. Franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki attended Doncic’s debut for the Lakers and Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd declined to hold his required postgame press conference.
That’s the environment the Warriors are stepping into on Wednesday night, on the first leg of a back-to-back. And it’s the atmosphere Thompson, the former Warrior, is being forced to navigate.
“I mean, you can acknowledge it and understand the frustration because Luka was that great,” Thompson said after Dallas’ overtime loss to Sacramento Monday. “And he was homebred here so when you feel like you grew up with somebody, it hurts to lose them. Especially to a team in your conference.”
Thompson has started all 47 games he has played and is averaging 13.8 points per game. He spent the first 13 years of his career with the Warriors, winning four championships and forming the greatest shooting backcourt ever with Steph Curry.
He dealt with his fair share of high-profile drama with Golden State, but the Doncic trade has created a different level of tension.
Doncic made five straight All-NBA first teams and hasn’t yet hit his prime, but the Mavericks nonetheless moved on from him. Although Davis is an excellent player, the return for Doncic is far less — particularly in draft asset compensation — than that of other recent star trades.
To make matters worse, Davis suffered a left adductor strain in his Mavericks debut, which is expected to sideline him for multiple weeks. Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell are also injured, leaving Dallas without a center against the Warriors.
At 28-26, the Mavericks are slipping in a tightly packed Western Conference.
Mavericks fans are fuming as it all unfolds. The players are left in the crossfire.
“I signed here and so did everyone else who had an opportunity to for a reason,” Thompson said. “That’s because we believe in the opportunities ahead of us and that’s the ability to win. It’s not our job to get deflated because people are upset. It’s our job to try to commit to them that there are really great days ahead. Not just this year, but in the next few years. I really believe that we can do something incredibly special.”
The last time the Mavericks met the Warriors was on Dec. 15, when Thompson made his anticipated return to Chase Center. He dropped a season-high 29 points, but Curry got the last laugh with 38 points and a handful of clutch shots to lift Golden State to a win.
While the Doncic trade has the Mavericks’ arrow pointing downward, the Warriors retooled at the trade deadline by acquiring Jimmy Butler. They’re 2-0 since the deal and Butler has fit in seamlessly despite being admittedly out of shape and not yet having time to practice with his team and learn their plays.
“Steph, he looks like he’s got belief,” Draymond Green said on his podcast. “After the trade, he looked at me and he said, ‘Man, it’s crazy because it just dawned on me, like this is it. Like, this is the last ride.’ And I said, let’s do it.”