Klay Thompson's Mavs Future Is Murky — Where a Trade or Buyout Leads

Klay Thompson has one year and $17.5 million left on his Mavericks deal, and at 36 years old he may not survive Dallas's pivot toward the future. The franchise is building around soon-to-be second-year forward Cooper Flagg, and a pricey shooting specialist on an expiring contract is exactly the kind of piece that gets moved.

That makes Thompson a prime trade or buyout candidate this offseason. He shot a career-low 38.3% from deep last season (2025-26) — still respectable, but a clear sign that he's now a role player rather than a co-star. The tricky part: teams may balk at surrendering draft capital or bodies for an aging sniper.

The Trade Problem

A buyout would let Thompson pick his landing spot, but Dallas would rather get something in return than watch him walk for nothing. That tension is the whole story here. The Mavericks have leverage only if a contender decides it needs shooting badly enough to pay up.

There's also a case for patience. Thompson's deal expires at season's end, so Dallas clears the cap either way. His market could heat up near the trade deadline if a contender needs a shooter, or if a team eyeing the 2027 free-agent class wants more flexibility. Holding could be the smarter play if the goal is a return.

The Fits

The Lakers are the sentimental pick. Thompson is an LA native, and the roster ranked just 23rd in made threes per game (11.8) last season (2025-26). With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves handling the ball, Thompson's off-ball movement fits, and coach JJ Redick — a sharpshooter himself — knows how to use one. Reaves posted 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 38.7 fantasy points per game across 51 games last season (2025-26), so the shot distribution is already spoken for.

Miami is intriguing now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is in town. Giannis put up 27.6 points and 49.1 fantasy points per game in 36 games last season (2025-26), and his paint pressure would open the kind of clean looks Thompson feasts on. But the Heat are cap-strapped, so this reads as a buyout scenario unless Miami makes a piece like Nikola Jović available.

Then there's the homecoming angle. Golden State whiffed on Giannis and LeBron James and is running it back, and no team launched more threes per game (44.1) than the Warriors last season (2025-26). They tied for 17th in three-point percentage (35.6%), Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry are still there, and Thompson knows the system cold. The only hitch is that Golden State is trying to get younger, and the money would have to line up.

The Fantasy Fallout

Let's be blunt about Thompson's value. He averaged just 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 69 games last season (2025-26), good for 17.8 fantasy points per game and a #245 overall rank (#111 among guards). That's a deep-league streamer, not a roster staple, no matter which jersey he ends up in.

The real fantasy winner in a Thompson move is Cooper Flagg. He's already at 39.8 fantasy points per game and #34 overall last season (2025-26), and he's trending up — plus 3.8 fantasy points over his last five games versus his average. A full pivot to Flagg means more usage and a clear path to a top-25 ceiling in Dallas.

For managers: don't chase Thompson unless he lands somewhere with a defined shooter role, and even then he's a temporary boost. Drop him in standard leagues. If you can buy Flagg before the roster reshuffle crystallizes his role, do it — he's the asset worth holding through the offseason noise.