On this episode of "Unfair Questions to Ask a Player," we have Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson attempting to dodge a truly brutal inquiry following his team's 14-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament on Friday.
Specifically, Thompson was asked if he regretted his move to the Mavericks last summer knowing now that the front office would trade franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic at the deadline. But not only was this a cheap inquiry, but it was also a bad one to ask right after the Mavs, one of two teams in the Finals last year, were knocked out of playoff contention.
Obviously understanding he couldn't seriously answer, Thompson did everything he could to signal his discomfort before providing a solid response back.
"Don't do this to me," Thompson immediately replied, hanging his head. "Can't do that to me. Don't do that. That's kind of a ridiculous question. I don't own a time machine and I don't believe in going back, looking back. If I did that my whole career, I would not be where I'm at and I would not have been able to persevere through two really hard injuries. So I'm here in Dallas and I enjoyed my time and I'm looking forward to the future."
Watch that below:
Klay Thompson was asked if he still would have signed with the Mavericks if he knew Luka Doncic would be traded 😳
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 19, 2025
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)pic.twitter.com/6N5dBSPeks
Thompson came to Dallas in July 2024 as part of a sign-and-trade deal that also sent then-Mavericks forward Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets. Prior to that, he had been with the Golden State Warriors for 13 years.
While it is extremely possible Thompson would not have chosen Dallas had he known Doncic would be leaving—or if he knew star Kyrie Irving would tear his ACL not long after—he is right to say that, at this point, he can't look back. And hopefully with a summer off, the Mavs can get right and prepare for a season without Luka and the drama the trade brought to their team.
On Friday, the four-time NBA champion had 18 points, two rebounds, and three assists, second to a dominant run from Anthony Davis, who added 40 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Klay Thompson Tried So Hard to Avoid Question About Regretting Move to Mavericks.
