Kyrie Irving was a defining factor in Klay Thompson moving to Mavericks

Klay Thompson moved to the Dallas Mavericks at the start of the offseason. The four-time NBA champion is teaming up with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. His sharpshooting and interior defense will improve last season's Western Conference champions and help them contend for another run to the NBA Finals.

According to Marc Stein, who was speaking on the "DLLS Mavs Podcast," Irving's relationship with the former Golden State Warriors star was crucial in Thompson's decision to move to Texas. The pair first became friends during the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

"I covered the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup, where they were teammates, and you could tell then that Klay had a real admiration for Kyrie," Stein said. "...There is no question, Kyrie Irving is one of the players and peers that Klay Thompson really, really, really respects. And that was a huge factor for the Mavs, because it's always great when players can be the advocates for your free agency push...When a peer pitches you, it just resonates more strongly many more times than not."

Stein's report confirms some recent comments made by Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd. He recently told NBC Sports Bay Area's newly formed "Dubs Talk Podcast" that Irving's relationship with Thompson helped tip the scales in Dallas' favor.

"When you talk about the recruitment, it was a lot of people that were involved in that. But one of the biggest players in that was Kai," Kidd said. "...It was a team effort. But I think player-to-player – in this league, they all talk about their situations, and they all recruit one another – this was about Kai and Klay being able to talk."

Thompson is now somewhat out of the spotlight. He has lower expectations on his shoulders than he did with the Warriors. He will be a spot-up or movement shooter in Dallas, tasked with spacing the floor for Doncic and Irving. That smaller role could liberate the aging All-Star and give him a new lease of life on the court.

If Thompson ends up helping the Mavericks return to the NBA Finals in the next few years, his addition will be vindicated. His presence adds championship know-how to the Mavericks rotation, which could be invaluable moving forward. It would appear they have Irving to thank for making it happen.