Getting one of the greatest shooters of all time in Klay Thompson seemed to be a goldmine for the Dallas Mavericks. However, Andrew Sharp, former Grantland and Sports Illustrated writer and now co-host of the popular Greatest of All Talk podcast, disputes the connection between the four-time NBA champion and the 2024 NBA Finals runner-up. “I believe I misjudged the possible negative effects of what’s going on there. On the Greatest of All Talk podcast, Sharp stated, “Klay is too well-known or too accomplished to be used as a Tim Hardaway Jr. replacement, as much as I like the Mavs roster and that blueprint.”
It’s true that Thompson is too exceptional to be compared to Hardaway Jr. Except perhaps for putting the ball on the floor to some extent, Hardaway’s contributions are surpassed by Thompson. Thompson is an improvement on Thompson, not just a replacement. Sharp continued with a fair amount of doubt. “He was so horrible on offense. Defensively, he’s dropped at least three steps. That guy is difficult for me to picture in any of the top Mavericks lineups,” Sharp remarked. It’s also difficult for me to picture him playing for 15-20 minutes a night, and it’s difficult for me to picture Jason Kidd not playing him for 25–35 minutes a night.
Since Stephen Curry is the lone exceptional player on both the current and previous rosters, the Warriors are, in all respects, no longer as talented as the Mavericks. The four-time champion eventually stops being expected to get points by making corner threes and flashing occasional scorching shooting from the floor. But for the Warriors to win, they needed old-school Thompson. Sometimes Kidd will stagger his minutes to provide a backup for the second unit, so Thompson won’t always be with the top players on the court. “If they are playing Klay, that’s probably bad news for the Mavs, and if they aren’t playing Klay, then maybe Klay is a problem,” Sharp added.
Sharp revised his analysis to state that he considered the “experiment of Thompson” with the Mavericks to be worthy of “fraud watch,” rather than labeling Thompson as a phony because of his notable championship achievements. It’s not out of place for Sharp to be so doubtful in the last quote. When a club signs a free agent or makes a trade, they are initially thrilled, especially if the team is competitive or championship caliber. Consider Christian Woods and Rajon Rondo as recent Mavs players. But when events begin to contradict your beliefs, your vision becomes less clear.
Will the “chill, cool dude” give in to his pride the way he did for Steve Kerr if Thompson is forced to come off the bench, or did he merely unwillingly extend such an olive branch because of his past with the Warriors? To be fair to Thompson and the Mavericks, the free agent desired to join Dallas. The fact that the four-time NBA champion turned down more money and turned down the Los Angeles Lakers is a clear indication of how much Thompson desired to stay in Dallas. As long as supporters and the Mavs don’t anticipate “Game Six Klay” every night, the fit should be perfect.
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