Klay Thompson doesn’t want to play the what-if game at the conclusion of the Mavericks’ season.
On Friday after the Mavericks lost their play-in game, 120-106, to the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum to end their season, Thompson was asked about his decision to join Dallas and if he still would have chosen the franchise when agreeing to the deal last summer if the 11-year forward had known what the team would endure this season.
In a heated reply, Thompson said he thought the question was “ridiculous.”
“You can’t do that to me. That’s kind of a ridiculous question,” he said. “I don’t own a time machine, and I don’t believe in looking back. If I didn’t have my whole career, I would not be where I’m at, and I wouldn’t have been able to persevere through two really hard injuries.
“I’m here in Dallas, and I enjoyed my time, and I’m looking forward to the future.”
When Thompson signed with the Mavericks in the offseason, he expected to play out the year with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who made a run to the NBA Finals last year.
In the decision to move on from the Warriors to Dallas, Thompson also turned down more money from the Lakers, who are now the No. 3 seed in the West for the postseason.
However, the opposite of what Thompson envisioned occurred.
Doncic was traded in a dramatic overnight blockbuster to the Lakers as Anthony Davis was brought to Dallas.
The trade shocked the league, and the Dallas fanbase was not at all pleased, leading to protests outside and inside American Airlines Center and the demand for ticket refunds.
Shortly after the blockbuster swap, Irving suffered a season-ending ACL tear that instantly put the Mavericks’ season into further question.
This season, Thompson, with all the ups and downs Dallas had, averaged 14 points per game on 41 percent shooting across 72 contests.
He also tallied 18 points in 32 minutes of Dallas’ elimination game on Friday against Memphis.
