Klay Thompson 'Backcourt Enes Kanter'?

The Dallas Mavericks seemingly struck gold by acquiring Klay Thompson, one of the best shooters of all time. However, Andrew Sharp, former Grantland and Sports Illustrated writer and now co-host of the successful Greatest of All Talk podcast, doubts the fit between the four-time NBA champion and the 2024 NBA Finals runner-up.

"I think I underestimated the potential downside of what's happening there. Klay, as much as I like the Mavs roster and that blueprint, Klay is too famous or too accomplished to be used as a Tim Hardaway Jr. replacement," Sharp said on the Greatest of All Talk podcast.

Thompson is indeed too great to be compared to Hardaway Jr. However, Thompson eclipses anything Hardaway offers, except for maybe somewhat putting the ball on the floor. Thompson is more than a replacement; he's an upgrade.

Sharp continued with reasonable skepticism.

"He was so bad on offense. He's lost at least three steps defensively. It's hard for me to imagine that guy being part of the best Mavericks lineups," Sharp claimed. "It's also hard for me to imagine him being comfortable playing 15-20 minutes per game, and it's hard for me to imagine Jason Kidd not playing him 25-35 minutes per game,

Respectfully, the Warriors are no longer as talented as the Mavericks, as Stephen Curry is the only elite player on the current roster and last season's. Thompson's expectations as a scorer ultimately end with the four-time champion hitting corner 3s and occasionally getting hot from the floor. However, the Warriors needed vintage Thompson for them to succeed.

There will come times when Thompson isn't with the best players on the floor, as Kidd could stagger his minutes to be a safety blanket for the second unit.

"If they are playing Klay, that's probably bad news for the Mavs, and if they aren't playing Klay, then maybe Klay is a problem," Sharp finished.

Related: 'That's So Sweet': Dirk Nowitzki Shares Mutual Respect with Klay Thompson

Sharp rephrased his take, saying that he called the "experiment of Thompson" with the Mavs "fraud watch" worthy, not specifically Thompson as a fraudulent figure due to his significant championship success.

Sharp's doubt exuding from the last quote isn't out of line. Players and teams fresh off a free agency signing or trade, at least if the team is competitive or championship-level, are initially happy. Look at Rajon Rondo and Christian Wood as recent Mavs examples. However, when things start going opposite to what you believed, then the vision darkens.

If Thompson has to play off the bench, will the "chill, cool dude" compromise his pride as he did for Steve Kerr, or did he only reluctantly extend such an olive branch due to the history with the Warriors?

In fairness to the Mavericks and Thompson, the free agent wanted to go to Dallas. The four-time NBA champion took less money and said no to the Los Angeles Lakers, which is a major sign of how badly Thompson wanted to be in Dallas.

The fit should work out fine as long as fans or the Mavs don't expect "Game Six Klay" on a nightly basis.