LeBron James officially picked the Philadelphia 76ers, making his biggest decision of the offseason and basically halting the entire NBA until now. This move, after weeks of waiting, finally releases the league from its stranglehold. And guess what? Some teams were already hustling.
Dallas Didn’t Wait Around For LeBron’s Call
While LeBron took his sweet time, the Dallas Mavericks weren’t just sitting idle. They literally scoured the earth for talent, working to get younger and more athletic around their cornerstone player, Cooper Flagg. Much of that effort happened in the margins, but the fact is, Dallas operated around the roadblock LeBron created. Now that four major rumored suitors , the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Minnesota Timberwolves , are no longer in play for James’ services, it’s widely expected further transactions will finally take off across the league. Dallas is poised to move some of their now-redundant pieces as they continue their rebuild.
Klay Thompson’s Maverick Future Is Officially On The Line
Look, Klay Thompson is probably the most obvious guy to be moved off the Dallas roster. He came to Dallas as the missing piece for a championship team, only to watch those dreams dissolve mere months later, thanks to Nico Harrison. Since then, Thompson’s presumably limited remaining career has been spent on an oft-injured 26-win team. He’s been a total pro through it all, but you gotta figure he wants a shot to join a team on his own terms and pursue immediate playoff basketball. Where he’ll go is anyone’s guess, but a reunion with the Golden State Warriors, who are now free from James’ hold, would be pretty awesome if Thompson can reconcile things with them. The Miami Heat, also out of the James running, make a ton of sense too. Both clubs offer Thompson a chance to win now, rather than spend his remaining years in a rebuild.
It’ll be great to see Thompson get a chance to play past April, and it would give Dallas the perfect opportunity to let their younger players truly develop. The Mavericks are ready to make their next big moves for this rebuild. Get ready, because the dominoes are about to fall!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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