Mychal Thompson did not hold back when discussing the current state of the Dallas Mavericks as the Mavs’ season has steadily gone downhill.
Not only did Dallas trade away its franchise superstar, but the team also seems to have crushed any hopes of postseason contention due to a key injury to Kyrie Irving. Klay Thompson joined the Mavs in the offseason with much different expectations. When asked about his son’s thoughts on the situation, Mychal made a grim prediction.
Mychal Thompson Thinks the Mavericks Will Lose 10 in a Row Without Kyrie Irving
Trading away Luka Dončić was bad enough. But losing Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and now Irving is something Mavericks fans never saw coming.
Thompson said his son was “in purgatory” due to his teammates’ constant injuries. He also predicted things would continue to spiral for the Mavs in the final stretch of the 2024-25 NBA season.
“He [Klay] thought with Luka and Kyrie that they had a chance to get back to the [NBA] Finals. Obviously, Luka left. Then I told him, well, AD is coming. You still got a chance to get to the Finals because AD is that good, and then he’s hurt. Then Gafford got hurt. Then Lively got hurt,” the elder Thompson said, though not necessarily correct about the order in which Dallas’ frontcourt got injured.
Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) spoke on his son Klay’s experience in Dallas since the Luka trade. pic.twitter.com/qxdt7vM8KR
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) March 6, 2025
The former NBA player continued, saying, “Klay is stuck in purgatory right now, and if they hang onto the 10th seed, that will be the story of the year in the NBA. I think they’re going to lose 10 in a row.”
With the Western Conference highly competitive and teams scrambling to improve their records, it will be difficult for the Mavs to stay afloat without Irving and Davis on the court. Thompson’s father was also asked whether Davis should even return this season, considering Irving is out for the year.
There’s no easy answer. Injuries have always played a major role in a team’s success. Losing Irving and Davis for the foreseeable future will be a huge blow to Dallas.
Even if the Mavs don’t lose 10 straight, as Thompson predicted, they have tough matchups ahead against the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns. Facing players like Ja Morant and Kevin Durant without their own stars will make it extremely difficult for Dallas to win and hold onto its spot in the standings.