Klay Thompson is in flux when it comes to his career. Even after the Dallas Mavericks failed to make the postseason, his recent breakup with Megan Thee Stallion has kept him in the conversation as the two navigate the public fallout.
However, for one of the most accomplished players of the 2010s, his career has gone off the rails since joining the Mavericks. With the team adjusting to the Cooper Flagg timeline, Thompson becomes a very expendable piece for them, with one potential Eastern Conference team the perfect landing spot for him.
How Klay Thompson Can Still Provide Instant Value to the Orlando Magic
One of the pioneers of the 3-point revolution, Thompson was a cornerstone of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. His synergy and shooting prowess, along with Stephen Curry, helped orchestrate six trips to the NBA Finals and four championships.
Even after multiple injuries, he remains a sniper from long distance. Even though the Warriors moved on from him, Thompson found an immediate buyer in Dallas, which wanted more spacing and proven veterans around Luka Dončić in their win-now era.
But with the Slovenian superstar being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks have entered a new phase under Flagg. That timeline doesn’t work with the four-time NBA champion, who turned 36 earlier this year.
Still, he can provide shooting in spades. Even with a mediocre Mavericks roster, he was able to average 11.7 points per game while knocking down 38.3% of his 3-pointers on over 7 attempts a night.
That kind of shooting can be valuable in a league that continues to rely heavily on long-distance marksmanship. For this reason, James Piercey of the Dallas Hoops Journal believes the Orlando Magic could be a perfect team to acquire his services to address their desperate need for shooting.
“The Orlando Magic thought they covered that issue by acquiring Desmond Bane. It seems that wasn’t enough. Bane hit 39.1% of his 5.2 triples per contest, but Orlando still made just 34.3% of their threes as a team, 27th in the NBA.”
Thompson could be the perfect solution. “Adding Thompson feels like a more sensible fix. If it doesn’t work, he’s on an expiring contract, and the Magic can reconsider their options next summer.”
Regardless of their failures in the regular season, the Magic have emerged as one of the best success stories of the playoffs, pushing the 60-win, one-seeded Detroit Pistons to the limit. Now with a 3-1 lead, they could potentially finish the upset.
However, it is hard to believe that this team, as presently constituted, can go on a deep postseason run. Veteran help and surety in the shooting department could help a team that ranked 18th in offensive rating during the season.
