Warriors’ Klay Thompson to meet with Dallas Mavericks among other teams in free agency

Free agency is officially open in the NBA and teams can begin negotiating with free agents. One of the biggest names on the market is Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. The Warriors decided not to bring back Thompson, a key cog in their run in the 2010s and the other half of the Splash Brothers alongside Stephen Curry.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Thompson plans to have discussions with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers during the opening hours of free agency. The Mavericks will open a large trade exception once the trade that sends Tim Hardaway Jr. to Dallas becomes official, meaning the Mavs could sign him for more than the mid-level exception. They could also explore sign-and-trade opportunities.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks have strong chance of signing Klay Thompson from Golden State Warriors

If it comes to money for Thompson, the 76ers will be the biggest threat to sign him. They have nearly $61 million in cap space and can easily offer the most money. The Lakers and Clippers should probably put him under the mid-level exception.

The 76ers will also meet superstar Paul George and the Mavs could have a chance to leapfrog anyone by making Thompson a priority. It’s been reported that he wants to feel respected and valued and Dallas could make a big impression in those meetings.

If the Mavericks agree to a trade with the Warriors, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber are two of the names that could be moved. Dallas needs shooting and a third scorer, a role Thompson could fill admirably. Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game this season and shot 38.7 percent from three-point range.

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