Klay Thompson left the Golden State Warriors last offseason and shunned a more lucrative offer from the Los Angeles Lakers for the Dallas Mavericks because of his strong belief that he could compete for a championship with Luka Dončić.
In a sudden twist of fate, Thompson found himself missing the playoffs after the Mavericks traded away Dončić, while the Warriors and the Lakers have made it and are favored to advance past the first round.
Thompson scored 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, but it was not enough for the Mavericks, who fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament knockout game, 120-106, on Friday, April 18, for the No. 8 seed.
“Don’t do this to me, don’t do that to me,” Thompson told reporters when asked about his decision to move to Dallas if he had known Doncic would be traded. “Don’t do that.
“That’s kind of a ridiculous question because I don’t own a time machine and I don’t believe in going back or looking back. If I did that my whole career, I would not be where I’m at and I wouldn’t have been able to persevere through two really hard injuries. I’m here in Dallas and I enjoyed my time and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Screw the reporter who asked Klay that question man https://t.co/B8UmvY7vlB pic.twitter.com/gWABzLAPH8
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 19, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Klay Thompson Took Less Money to Join Mavericks
Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal to join the Mavericks, according to former ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which was less in annual average salary than the Warriors’ offer last offseason, which he declined.
Anthony Irwin reported on his “Lakers Lounge” podcast that the Lakers offered Thompson a deal “in the ballpark of $80 million over four years,” which Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes corroborated.
“I was told the Lakers made a pretty compelling offer,” Haynes reported. “It was around a three, four-year mark, somewhere along the lines of $20 million per [year], and they didn’t get their guy.”
Klay’s decision was based on which team would maximize his remaining window to earn money and win another championship, Wojnarowski added at the time.
Mychal Thompson Disappointed With Son’s Decision
It was a decision which disappointed Klay’s father, Mychal Thompson, who won two championships with the Lakers in their “Showtime” era in the 1980s.
“I’m not feeling too much in a congratulatory mood right now,” Mychal said on NBA Radio on July 2.
The elder Thompson, who won two NBA championships while playing for the “Showtime” Lakers from 1987 to 1991, sold the idea to his son to retire as a Laker.
“Obviously, it was the right thing for me to do,” Mychal said. “I felt like it was the correct thing for me to do because I really believe in this franchise and [the Lakers] have been so good to me and my family, including Klay.
He grew up a Lakers fan. He grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant like most kids his age, so I just thought it seemed like it’d be the perfect fit for him to finally come back home because we always talked about him playing for the Lakers if he was not a Golden State Warrior. When the chance came, he chose the Mavericks instead.”
‘Stuck in Purgatory’
After the Mavericks traded away Dončić, Klay was taken aback, according to his father.
“No, no, not at all,” Mychal Thompson said on ESPN Los Angeles’ “Mason & Ireland” show on March 5 when a caller asked if Klay expected this turn of events when he signed. “He thought with Luka [Dončić] and Kyrie, he had a chance to get back to the Finals. Obviously, Luka left. When I told him [Anthony Davis] is coming, you still got a chance to get to the Finals because AD’s that good. Then he’s hurt. And then [Daniel] Gafford got hurt and then [Dereck] Lively got hurt.
“So yeah, Klay is stuck in purgatory right now, and if they hang on to the 10th seed, that will be the story of the year in the NBA. Because I think they’re going to lose 10 in a row.”
They managed to advance to the play-in tournament, but the shocking Dončić trade and Kyrie Irving’s season-ending ACL injury were too much for the Mavericks to overcome.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Klay Thompson Snaps at ‘Ridiculous Question’ After Mavericks Miss NBA Playoffs appeared first on Heavy Sports.