Klay Thompson’s Offseason Gamble Backfires: Did He Choose the Wrong Path?

Klay Thompson had full control over his future heading into the 2024 NBA offseason. After spending his entire career with the Golden State Warriors, the former Splash Brother entered free agency with several teams vying for his services. Ultimately, reports suggested that his decision came down to two franchises: the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. With the benefit of hindsight, it appears that Thompson may have chosen the wrong path.

For fans of How I Met Your Mother, there is a famous bit inspired by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where a knight repeatedly tells Ted Mosby that he has “chosen poorly.” If that knight were real, he would likely be showing up to remind Thompson of his offseason decision on a daily basis.

Thompson’s father, Mychal Thompson, carved out a successful NBA career himself, most notably winning two championships with the Lakers in the late 1980s. While Mychal has not publicly spoken on his son’s decision, it’s easy to imagine that watching Klay wear the purple and gold of his former team would have been a special moment for him.

Instead, Klay now finds himself in a challenging situation with the Mavericks. While he had no way of predicting the turmoil that Dallas would endure during the 2024-25 season, his decision to sign with them has led to a year filled with frustration. In many ways, his current circumstances appear worse than those he left behind in Golden State. What once seemed like a fresh start has turned into an uphill battle, leaving Thompson to wonder what could have been.