Mark Cuban candidly addressed the signing of Klay Thompson, and how that came about. Speaking to Shannon Sharpe on ‘Club Shay Shay‘, Cuban noted that he just had to leave things to GM Nico Harrison, head coach Jason Kidd, and Kyrie Irving to convince Klay, who was looking for a fresh opportunity after the Warriors.
Shannon Sharpe: “Your big acquisition this offseason was Klay Thompson… How were you able to convince Klay to come to Dallas, when his Dad wanted him to go to LA, he grew up as a Lakers fan, and Kobe was his idol – how did you convince him?”
Mark Cuban: “Credit goes to Nico and Kyrie, and J Kidd. They know him, they played with him, they understand him. That’s literally why we brought Nico Harrison in, because of his relationships with players.”
“They went out and spent time with him, got to know him better. And really, I think Klay was ready for a move. All the grief he got last year, particularly the way it ended [With Golden State]. The timing was right. Kudos to Klay for being willing to make the move and Kudos to Nico, J-Kidd, and Kai for making it happen.”
(4:10 onwards)
Thompson’s father was a former NBA player, Mychal Thompson. Klay grew up in Los Angeles, attending Lakers games regularly at the LA Forum, and naturally became a fan of the franchise. But in his career, he played entirely for the Golden State Warriors and found incredible success.
Thompson’s father was very openly campaigning for him to sign with the Lakers in free agency. And when Klay spurned his wishes and joined the Mavericks instead, he openly expressed his frustration.
Thompson spoke about his father’s reaction and noted that he did what was best for himself. Klay Thompson reportedly didn’t want to join the Los Angeles Lakers as he felt that he was going to experience some of the same frustrations he did with the Warriors. Perhaps he will not feel the same way about the Mavericks.
Mark Cuban Opens Up About Free Agency Approaches
Mark Cuban also spoke about how he approaches the idea of signing a big free agent. Cuban noted that big stars who are first options rarely leave the franchise, citing the example of Stephen Curry. He added that players who are looking to prove something are the ones they target, as they will deliver at the highest level.
“Depends on if they’re the number one guy, the number two guy, or the number three guy. If you’re number one – Like Steph [Curry] is not going anywhere. LeBron’s moved around just for different reasons. The number two guy, if it’s not going the way you want, then yeah the door is open.”
“But it takes somebody who is special, somebody who has got the ambition, and really, somebody who has got something to prove. And Klay has got a lot to prove which is great because those are the guys you want on your squad. Because they’re going to work harder than ever, to prove people wrong.”
The approach has paid off big time for them, as the Mavericks have been able to land a massive asset in Klay Thompson, along with the singing of Naji Marshall, which has made the Mavericks one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference.
With the Mavs falling short of the NBA championship last season, they have gotten stronger and will be one of the contenders to win it all once again. Playing in a stacked Western Conference, things will not be easy for them. But they will have a great squad to try and win it all once again.
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