For years, Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors were the most hated team in Cleveland. They got the best of the Cavaliers three out of four times in the NBA Finals, though that lone Cavs win was the sweetest and most epic in NBA history.
There's not much love lost for Thompson and the Splash Brothers in Cleveland. Fans respect them as future Hall of Famers, but they definitely never thought of watching either of them taking their talents to Northeast Ohio.
That said, this is a business first and foremost, and the foes of yesterday can be the friends of tomorrow. That's why, if Thompson gets bought out by the Dallas Mavericks as expected, the Cavs should get him on the next plane to Cleveland.
The Cavs should be all over a potential Klay Thompson signing
Thompson tormented the Cavs several times. He averaged 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game in 22 NBA Finals matchups, shooting 43 percent from the floor and nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc. He had some duds and games under ten points, but he also had three 30-point games in the NBA Finals.
Still, that would all be water under the bridge if he could bring his elite shooting stroke to Cleveland. Of course, he's not the guy he used to be in his heyday, but the shooting touch is the last thing to go, and this team desperately needs sharpshooters.
That would only be a bigger problem if LeBron James returns home. He's never been a reliable three-point shooter, and spacing is already limited as it is with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen clogging the paint.
James' homecoming would also most likely open the door for either Max Strus or Sam Merrill to depart, leaving this team even thinner in the shooting department. That's where Thompson would come in handily off the bench.
Even on a bad day, Thompson is probably the second-greatest three-point shooter to ever walk the face of the Earth. He's not an elite backcourt defender anymore, but he might benefit from a diminished role in Cleveland. He can play the Iman Shumpert role and not be asked to do that much on offense.
Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks because he thought they would be a championship contender. Then, they traded Luka Doncic and a string of injuries took a big toll on their chances. Now, they don't even have a proven NBA coach.
He's coming off a down year, yet he still shot 38.3 percent from three-point range. And after the way the Warriors treated him, what better way to stick it to them than by joining enemy ranks and teaming up with their biggest rival?
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