Warriors get small return for Klay Thompson

The sign-and-trade that brought Thompson to Dallas gave the Warriors two second-round picks

The Golden State Warriors didn’t have Klay Thompson leave for nothing, but the return they got wasn’t much more than that.

The Warriors agreed to a sign-and-trade to help Thompson go to his next destination, which is the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks. Dallas needed to acquire Thompson via a trade exception generated by their trade of Tim Hardaway Junior and his $16.1 million to the Detroit Pistons. In addition, they had to drop enough salary to stay below the first luxury cap apron, where they were hard-capped after signing Naji Marshall.

The Mavericks achieved that objective by sending 23-year-old Josh Green and his three-year $41 million deal to the Charlotte Hornets. Golden State clearly didn’t want Green, so they chose salary relief, and two low-quality draft picks.

The Warriors got the Mavericks’ own second-round pick seven years from now, in 2031. This means the Warriors may have acquired the rights to a player who just finished sixth grade. It’s possible that by losing the 34-year-old Thompson, the Warriors are getting younger — as much as 22 years younger.

The other non-prize is a conditional second-round pick in the 2025 draft, the lesser of the picks held by the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers. There’s a non-zero chance those two teams have two of the best records in the league, meaning this could be one of the last picks of the second round. Golden State did find Trayce Jackson-Davis in one of those picks, so you never know, but the success rate for No. 57 overall picks is not high.

Still, it’s better than losing Thompson for nothing. It’s also very similar to losing Thompson for nothing.