The NBA Cup kicks off Tuesday night with one of the most exciting games of the season as Klay Thompson returns to San Francisco with the Dallas Mavericks to face his former team, the Golden State Warriors.
Thompson, 34, was drafted by the Warriors in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft. After 13 seasons with Golden State, including two years lost to Achilles and knee injuries, Thompson decided to leave the team in a sign-and-trade deal over the summer.
The four-time champion and five-time All-Star has been averaging 13.8 points per game in his first 10 games with the Mavericks, compared to 17.9 points per game for the Warriors last season.
Before his departure, Thompson ranked second on the Warriors’ all-time list for career 3-pointers (2,481), while also holding fourth place in games played (793), sixth in points (15,531), and ninth in steals (676).
This game marks Thompson’s return as part of the second season of the NBA Cup, an in-season tournament where the Mavericks and Warriors are placed in the same five-team pool, along with the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, and Denver Nuggets.
Thompson tried to downplay the emotional aspect of the game by focusing on the excitement of the NBA Cup. He and the Warriors went 2-2 in the tournament last season.
“It’ll be good to see people you grinded with,” Thompson said over the weekend. “But to me, it’s just another regular-season game in November. Obviously, there are bigger implications with the NBA Cup, so what’s on my mind is to win that because I haven’t been a part of it yet. I know it’s young, but it’d be fun to play for that title.”
Thompson left Golden State as part of a six-team trade that sent Buddy Hield to the Warriors from the Philadelphia 76ers, among other moves.
Hield has helped fill the gap left by Thompson’s departure, ranking among the league leaders in 3-pointers (40) and 3-point shooting percentage (48.8%). Meanwhile, Thompson has made 29 three-pointers for the Mavericks at a 35.4% rate.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said there are no hard feelings about Thompson leaving.
“Sometimes a fresh start can be healthy,” Kerr said. “Everybody’s life and career arc is different. I think Klay made the right decision going to Dallas. Just seeing him the last couple of years, I think he needed a fresh start.”
The Warriors plan to honor Thompson with a special “Salute Captain Klay” interactive experience, which will include a pregame video tribute. The team has also announced that Thompson’s No. 31 jersey will be retired when he finishes his playing career.
Stephen Curry supports the idea of celebrating his longtime teammate sooner rather than later.
“We have a game to play, so the focus has to be there,” Curry said. “But he deserves the celebration and the welcome he’s going to get. It’s a chance to reflect on all the memories we created together.”
The Warriors come into this game with an 8-2 record after a successful 4-1 road trip, which included wins over the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder. They will also host Memphis for an NBA Cup game on Friday.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, are coming off a 122-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, despite a 43-point performance by Kyrie Irving. Luka Dončić contributed 24 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in the game.
