{"id":17950,"date":"2024-07-02T20:08:54","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T14:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/?p=454255"},"modified":"2024-07-02T19:29:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T13:59:38","slug":"why-did-klay-thompson-choose-mavericks-over-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/nba\/why-did-klay-thompson-choose-mavericks-over-lakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Why did Klay Thompson choose Mavericks over Lakers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Klay Thompson made a splash in NBA free agency, stepping into new territory after 13 years with the Warriors. As the clock struck 6 p.m. ET on June 30, he entered the market for the first time and swiftly secured a new path.<\/p>\n

Thompson engineered a sign-and-trade deal that landed him a lucrative three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavericks. In return, Golden State received a couple of second-round draft picks, and the Mavericks also sent Josh Green to the Hornets as part of the transaction.<\/p>\n

While many expected Thompson to land in Dallas, choosing the Mavericks over the Lakers raised eyebrows. Despite Los Angeles\u2019 interest and reported offers exceeding Dallas\u2019, Thompson opted for a fresh start with the Mavericks.<\/p>\n

Why Dallas over Los Angeles? Here\u2019s the breakdown of his decision:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why did Klay Thompson choose Mavericks over Lakers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Klay Thompson\u2019s decision to join the Mavericks over the Lakers boiled down to a mix of financial smarts and championship aspirations, according to ESPN\u2019s Adrian Wojnarowski.<\/p>\n

Initially, Thompson found the Lakers enticing, but the financial savings of living in tax-free Texas versus high-tax California and the Mavericks\u2019 recent deep playoff run played significant roles in his choice.<\/p>\n

The tax factor, often overlooked by fans, played a big part. In Texas, Thompson won\u2019t face state income taxes, whereas in California, a hefty 13.3% would have eaten into his Lakers salary offer, significantly reducing its real value.<\/p>\n

For instance, a reported $20 million per year deal with the Lakers would actually amount to around $17.34 million after taxes, compared to the Mavericks\u2019 offer of $16.67 million, which is tax-free in Texas.<\/p>\n

While NBA players do pay \u201cjock tax\u201d on income earned in other states, Thompson\u2019s overall tax burden would still be less in Dallas than in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/strong><\/td>\nReported AAV<\/strong><\/td>\nIncome tax rate<\/strong><\/td>\nActual value<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lakers<\/td>\n$20 million<\/td>\n13.3 percent<\/td>\n$17.34 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mavericks<\/td>\n$16.67 million<\/td>\n0 percent<\/td>\n$16.67 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Beyond taxes, the Mavericks\u2019 proximity to a championship was a deciding factor. They made a deep run to the NBA Finals last season without a third superstar alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Thompson\u2019s addition promises more scoring consistency than the Mavericks saw from Tim Hardaway Jr. during their postseason push.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the Lakers, despite a respectable 47-35 record, bowed out early in the playoffs. LeBron James remains their standout player, but at nearly 40, questions linger about the team\u2019s future without a young star to lead when James eventually slows down.<\/p>\n

While Thompson would have bolstered the Lakers\u2019 3-point shooting, their uncertain future compared to Dallas, led by the younger Doncic, made them a riskier bet for Thompson.<\/p>\n

Thus, on paper, choosing the Mavericks over the Lakers makes sense. Dallas must prove their Finals appearance wasn\u2019t a fluke, but with Thompson on board, they have a stronger shot at contending for an NBA title in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Klay Thompson trade details<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mavericks receive:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Klay Thompson<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Warriors receive:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • 2025 second-round pick (least favorable from Denver or Philadelphia)<\/li>\n
    • Mavericks\u2019 2031 second-round pick<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Hornets receive<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Josh Green<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Klay Thompson made a splash in NBA free agency, stepping into new territory after 13 years with the Warriors. As\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":38692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2847,1070,583,3857],"class_list":["post-17950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-klay-thompson","tag-lakers","tag-mavericks"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}