Dallas is moving on from Klay Thompson, and GM Mike Schmitz says the focus now is on building something tougher and more competitive inside the locker room.
Schmitz spoke Friday on The Ticket after the Mavericks announced they had negotiated a buyout with Thompson, ending a short and ultimately disappointing chapter for a team that had hoped the veteran sharpshooter would help push it back toward the NBA’s top tier.
“Very thankful for everything Klay brought to the Mavericks organization,” Schmitz said. “Obviously a competitor, a champion, an all-time great shooter, and really thankful for his contributions to the team and the city and the organization, and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
The move is expected to send Thompson to the Miami Heat once he clears waivers. Reports have already suggested he will wear No. 11 there.
Dallas, meanwhile, had looked for a trade before settling on the buyout, but Schmitz kept the specifics close to the vest.
“I don’t want to get into too much of the nitty-gritty with internal conversations and all that,” Schmitz explained when he was asked about how another possible transaction didn't work out. “More than anything, just like I said, thankful for everything Klay has given to the team, the organization, the city, and wish him the best moving forward in the rest of the season.”
The buyout leaves the Mavericks with 15 players on standard contracts, down from 16.
Schmitz said the roster is being shaped around competition and pressure, not comfort.
“You want a culture of competition, a healthy competition where guys are fighting for minutes and the level is raised,” Schmitz said. “And I think you’re going to see that ...
"We feel like some of the additions we’ve made will help kind of foster that competitiveness, along with a lot of the guys who were on the roster when we got here.”
That push starts with Flagg, who played all 70 games in his first season and put up 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He also won NBA Rookie of the Year.
Schmitz came aboard this offseason after being hired by team president Masai Ujiri, and Dallas later brought in coach Dusty May in June, hiring him away from Michigan.
So the Mavericks enter a new phase with a revamped front office, a new coach, and a roster trying to reset after Thompson’s exit.
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