Early Friday morning, the Dallas Mavericks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for 24-year-old shooting guard Quentin Grimes. But for Dallas, this move was seemingly more about clearing Hardaway’s $16.1 million salary off the books for next season.
Now that the Mavericks gained just under $12 million thanks to Grimes only accounting for $4.3 million, what will Dallas do with its newfound cap space?
According to NBA insider Marc Stein , one option could be signing Klay Thompson in free agency.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the Dallas Mavericks, with some newfound financial flexibility after securing the Tim Hardaway Jr.-to-Detroit trade that I wrote about Tuesday (see the full Twitter thread here), are another team intent on exploring the feasibility of signing Thompson once he makes it to free agency.”
Marc Stein on Dallas Mavericks/Klay Thompson rumors
Of course, the Mavericks aren’t the only team expected to pursue a contract with the five-time Warriors All-Star. The Orlando Magic have also recently been linked and are said to be preparing a massive contract offer for the four-time NBA Champion.
However, there are only so many teams who have enough cap space to prepare an enticing offer for the two-time All-NBA shooting guard. Yet, like many others, the Mavericks would have to execute a sign-and-trade to bring in Thompson, as they’re still far above the $141 million spending limit.
Either way, it appears for the first time in the 34-year-old’s NBA career, he’ll be playing for a team that isn’t the Golden State Warriors. If so, getting used to seeing Thompson playing in another uniform could take a while, but it may be time for everyone to move on as the Warriors try retooling around Stephen Curry.
Related: NBA insider reveals Trae Young’s preferred trade landing spots
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