It seems that the Dallas Mavericks were able to persuade Klay Thompson to pick them over his hometown team due to a secret weapon in their front office.
The Mavericks are just days away from the start of training camp and their journey back to the NBA Finals. The Western Conference squad surprised some when they were able to make it to the championship series last year. But this season the expectations will be much higher for Luka Doncic and his teammates.
Related: Where do the Mavericks and Lakers land in our preseason NBA power rankings?
In an attempt to bolster their chances to return to the Finals, Dallas made one of the more notable splashes of the summer when they signed future Hall-of-Famer Klay Thompson. The Golden State Warriors legend had several suitors in free agency. But most assumed playing for a title contender like the Mavericks was what helped him make his final decision.
- Klay Thompson stats (Career): 19.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 41% 3PT
Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison played a massive role in signing Klay Thompson
Thompson choosing the Mavs surprised some because the Los Angeles Lakers — the franchise his father played for and his childhood favorite — also courted the five-time All-Star. However, in a recent interview, former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban revealed a secret weapon in the front office played a major role in beating out the Lakers for Thompson’s services.
“Credit goes to Nico [Harrison], Kyrie [Irving], and Jason Kidd,” Cuban said on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast. “They know him, they’ve played with him, they understand him and that’s literally why we brought Nico Harrison in because of his relationship to players and so they went out and spent time with him, got to know him better. And really, I think Klay was ready for a move.”
Harrison has been the Mavericks general manager since 2021 and was the architect of the team that reached the Finals for just the second time in team history last season.
Related: NBA games today – Get a look at the upcoming NBA preseason schedule