Has Clay found the answer after leaving the Warriors?

Time Back to July 6, 2024, the Dallas Mavericks announced the news that Klay Thompson joined the No. 31 jersey on the team's official account, indirectly announcing that the Warriors, the most successful team in the past decade, had lost their long-standing core players.

Before looking back at the Warriors, it is difficult for you to see a successful combination like the Warriors trio in NBA history. The three were selected into the All-Stars 18 times, the Best Team 13 times, and the Finals 7 times, winning four championship trophys. They are also the core lineup for the Warriors to set a record of 73 wins in the 2016-17 season. Even though the ending at that time was not perfect for the Warriors.

But no matter what, this is also a group of three giants worth writing into history. However, as Clay goes away from Dallas, it directly declares that the glorious story of the Warriors trio has come to an end; and even though it has not yet retired, the Warriors issued a statement early, saying that Clay's No. 11 jersey will be retired by the team and will float over the ceiling of the Chase Center in the future. This is also the best reward for the Warriors to this core veteran who has fought together for 13 seasons.

After spending a year in Dallas, let’s review the conflicting choices between Warriors and Clay faced contract renewals in the past few years.

First of all, we can clarify that before leaving the Warriors, Clay's shooting performance was not as bad as he thought. Overall, Clay is basically a top scorer in the league in the 23-24 season. Among the last 700 outside shots, Clay is able to maintain a shooting percentage of 38.7%, and hit 268 three-pointers, which is also among the top five in the league. Although the shooting percentage is far from the peak period, the threat of no-ball is still a key link for the Warriors to open the offensive space for Curry at that time, and this is why after the free agent market opened, many teams in the league that needed offensive space had participated in Clay's signings. After all, in this era where offensive space and projection are emphasized, a shooter with top offense ability and rich experience is still a target that other teams on the market do not want to miss.

Of course, facing a shooter guard who has suffered a serious injury to both legs and faces age difficulties, no matter which team has to consider it again and again, which is why the Warriors and Clay have been unable to reach a consensus in the past few seasons.

During this period, the Warriors did not give the respect this meritorious player wanted, at least for Clay himself. Since he returned to the team with a serious injury, the team's status has been declining year by year. The outstanding performance of other players has begun to allow the Warriors to put Clay further back. Even after winning the championship in 2022, the Warriors' priority is to consider how to renew Poole and Wiggins, rather than Clay first.

In contrast, although Green's contract renewal with the Warriors was stalemate for a while that year, the Warriors still chose to sign a four-year contract with him. Just to preserve the flexibility of the lineup, the Warriors chose to delay Clay's contract renewal until the 2023-24 season, and then discuss it after the new version of the labor-management agreement is determined.

But in the 2023-24 season, the Warriors still targeted the trading market, and Clay's sluggish performance made him abandoned many times at the last moment of the game, and Moody or Pojemsky and others ended the game on the court. These choices are naturally unacceptable for Clay, who has a strong self-esteem. In addition, the performance on the field is gradually out of control, especially the disaster performance of 0 out of 10 in the play-offs, which gives the Warriors more bargaining chips and directly promotes the breakup between the two sides.

A season before leaving the Warriors, the Warriors fell at the Kings' feet in the first round of the playoffs and missed the playoffs. Before Clay left, the Warriors had been facing difficulties for several consecutive years and paid high luxury taxes, but were eliminated early in the playoffs. Curry's peak was about to come to an end, and it was basically impossible for Clay to continue to maintain the core of the team. Therefore, the Warriors hope that he can play the role of a veteran, even if he himself has a negative attitude towards this choice.

After the rise of the big man represented by Jokic, the current basketball system is very different from when the Warriors Splash ruled the league ten years ago. Combined with the two failed seasons 22 years later, for the Warriors management, team players, coaching team, and even Clay himself, they have reached a point in which changes need to be made.

Therefore, after Clay last proposed a two-year average price of 20 million to the Warriors, the Warriors chose to delay the offer for a while, and Clay basically knew the last choice at that time. The Warriors' eyes are still from the perspective of trading other stars, and Clay also decided to wave goodbye to these old partners who have fought with them for more than ten years. We all know the later stories. After the Mavericks lost the finals, they began to promote trades, hoping to bring more support to the team. Clay, who does not occupy the ball and disperse offensive and defensive firepower, is almost a perfect choice.

In the end, he chose to sign a three-year 50 million contract that was lower than the price of the Warriors. This signing and then changing has also evolved into the first six-party deal in the history of the league. In addition to Clay's trip to Dallas, Hardaway Jr. also included a series of personnel changes in Hardaway Jr., Josh Green joined the Hornets, and Li Kyle and Hilder joined the Warriors.

Before Clay went to Dallas, the Mavericks were eliminated 1-4 against the Celtics on the final stage. Only Doncic and Irving made more than 50 shots in the team; while in comparison, the Celtics had at least four shots of 50 shots. The Mavericks' offensive ability in the connection stage after the two stars ended is obviously insufficient. Unlike the Celtics' deep rotation, even though the Mavericks have many rotations, almost only the two Eastern Europeans have offensive threats.

There is no doubt that recruiting more offensive helpers for the Mavericks who just lost in the finals is the team's number one target in the offseason.. Being able to upgrade the Mavericks, who occasionally has excellent works but is not stable enough to Clay, with rich experience, was definitely a good operation for the Mavericks at that time, and it was also a key operation made by the team for Doncic's subsequent championship journey.

But now, no one can expect that the subsequent development of the story will take such a sharp turn.

Recalling the first season of joining Dallas, Clay handed over a report card with an average of 14 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.2 turnovers. Judging from the player's performance, this data ultimately failed to achieve Clay's idea of ​​proving himself. Of course, there are many reasons for the Mavericks' failure last season. The team's new lineup was run-in after the big deal and the drag of large-scale injuries ultimately led to their failure to achieve their due combat power level.

But similarly, for the Mavericks after the integration, they will soon welcome the new season with a brand new lineup. An unexpected deal has caused the team to lose their future core appearance, but it has also been exchanged for a young No. 1 pick. They have reorganized a three-no. The Mavericks have even greater chances of winning the championship compared to the previous Eastern European combination.

Just after more and more core players of the team appear, it is certain that the Mavericks will provide Clay with fewer opportunities, and he also needs an opportunity to prove that he still belongs to the puzzle required for a championship team, and even his shots will likely be reduced to the average single digit level next season.

After leaving the Warriors for a season, we will recall the playoffs where 0 out of 10 war criminals were performed. After the game on the spot, Clay, who had 0 points in the game, watched the Kings' home court for a week before leaving. No one knew what he was thinking at the time. Perhaps it is me recalling the once full of energy and missing the moments when I won the championship trophy with my teammates.

But just like Tony Parker of the Spurs GDP went to the Hornets in his last season of his career, Clay found the team that needed him, and more importantly, he now has a better chance to challenge the fifth championship in his career, proving his infinite desire for victory and the immortal flame inside.