Why Klay Thompson Signing With the Dallas Mavericks Is a Good Move for the Atlanta Hawks

One of the biggest moves of free agency just happened. Former Warriors point guard Klay Thompson is leaving Golden State to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s a move that helps the reigning Western Conference champions, but also hurts the Warriors.

There are two other teams that benefit and suffer from this situation. The Atlanta Hawks, who own the Los Angeles Lakers’ unprotected 2025 first-round pick thanks to the Dejounte Murray trade, are helped by Thompson choosing to sign with the Mavericks over the Lakers. The Lakers are a team that hoped to sign Thompson, but they failed to do so. Los Angeles had a number of targets they were hoping to land before the offseason, but that list is dwindling. It seemed like the Lakers were hoping to make a splash this offseason and upgrade their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but they’ve missed on everyone so far.

Let’s take a look at why the Lakers’ pick could be so valuable.

The Lakers, as they currently stand, are a very average team in a crowded Western Conference and the pool of trade targets to help them improve next year is dwindling. Could they target Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine? Donovan Mitchell seems set to re-sign with Cleveland, Trae Young isn’t moving, Phoenix isn’t moving anyone, Minnesota doesn’t appear to be moving Karl-Anthony Towns, and I don’t think the Lakers have the assets to trade Lauri Markkanen. The Lakers could still pull off a surprise and land someone no one expected, but the pool of trade targets is dwindling.

Not only is the Western Conference full, but the Lakers have to hope for another healthy season from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which is not guaranteed. Davis is coming off the healthiest season of his career and had an All-NBA season. James was healthy for most of the season and still put up very good numbers. Both of those things happened and the Lakers were still one Zion Williamson injury away from a playoff game against the Kings, which they might have lost. What if Davis and James fail to stay healthy? That could be a big problem for the Lakers.

Assuming they both stay healthy, it bears repeating that the Western Conference is very well-stocked. Let’s look at last year’s standings and see where the Lakers might fit:

1. Oklahoma City – Alex Caruso was added to an already deep team that was the No. 1 seed last season.

2. Denver – Lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but still has Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray

3. Minnesota – They bring back their entire team and should be a contender

4. Clippers – They are the biggest question mark so far, having lost Paul George, but they still have Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and others.

5. Dallas – Just reached the finals and added Naji Marshall, Quentin Grimes and now Thompson

6. Phoenix – Despite all their injuries and issues last year, they finished higher than the Lakers.

8- New Orleans – They just added Murray, but they still have some changes to make. They also need to stay healthy.

9. Sacramento – The Kings nearly made the playoffs last year and should be in the running again. They are also reportedly interested in trades to strengthen their team.

10. Golden State – The Warriors might be completely out of playoff contention, but they still have Steph Curry.

11. Houston – The Rockets nearly made the play-in last year and are clearly ready to make a run at the playoffs.

12. Utah – Not a playoff team

13. Memphis – The Grizzlies are healthy again and should be a contender to win the West.

14. San Antonio – Not yet ready to fight for a playoff spot with Victor Wembanyama, barring a surprise.

15. Portland – Could trade more pieces and become the worst team in the NBA

Looking at the standings, the only teams that I think are better than the Lakers next year (for now) are Utah, Portland, and San Antonio. Some good teams are going to miss the Western Conference playoffs next season and one of them could be the Lakers, which would put them in the draft lottery in what is supposed to be a loaded 2025 draft class.

There could be some big moves that would make the Lakers a lot better, but they’re not clear yet. That could make their pick a very, very good asset for next offseason.