Mavericks’ Klay Thompson says he still believes in franchise despite it all

March 11, 2025

Without a doubt, a dark cloud is hanging over the Mavericks one year after making a run to the Finals.

Why, you ask? Well, you know. The Trade. It sent franchise-face and future star Luka Doncic to the Lakers. In exchange, the Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a pick.

We still have no clue why Dallas actually did it and things have headed incredibly south since the deal. Davis immediately got injured. Kyrie Irving has been lost for the year with an ACL injury. There also have been a slew of injuries to the frontcourt overall.

Yuck, yuck, and double yuck. And it’s safe to say this is not the team that Klay Thompson signed on with over the summer. But he said he intends to keep on keepin’ on, anyway.

“It hurt, obviously, Kyrie being out for, you know, 10-12 months,” Thompson told reporters after the Mavs’ 133-129 win against the Spurs on Monday, via Joey Mistretta of Clutch Points. “We know he’s gonna come back stronger. … I’m not worried about him because I’ve seen his work first hand and it’s some of the best I’ve ever seen.

“So it sucks to be without him this year. … We still have big goals, we still want to make a run. The injuries have been awful, but I still love our team.”

The Mavericks (33-33) have won just three of 10. They’ve slipped to the No. 10 seed in the West, with the Suns on their heels for the final play-in spot. Perhaps the downward trend can change if Davis gets back soon.

“We have an amazing frontcourt, we miss those guys dearly, obviously as you can tell with the lack of size out there,” Thompson said. “They’re probably the strong point of our team. But we’re showing as much heart as we can. It’s just a pleasure to go to battle with each and every person who suits up. That’s all you can control. At the end of the day it’s your attitude and effort.”

As for the future, Thompson says he remains committed.

“I still believe in this franchise,” he said. “I’m here for two more seasons after this, so I’d love to help them return to glory that they were brought to in 2011.”