The Golden State Warriors‘ move to sign and trade Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks was one of the five underrated offseason moves, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger.
The former Memphis Grizzlies executive praised the Warriors front office for extracting value out of Thompson under difficult circumstances.
“Rather than overpay a declining player for the vibes, the Warriors parlayed him into two different players (Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson) who combined will make less money than Thompson and a random minimum-contract guy,” Hollinger wrote on August 21. “There’s a good chance each individually will matter more to the Warriors than Thompson would have too. (Thompson seems like a good fit in Dallas, incidentally … but Golden State is not Dallas.)
The Warriors were happy to assist Thompson get more money from Dallas (a three-year, $50 million deal) in exchange for landing the two veterans in the complex six-team trade.
Buddy Hield as Low-Maintenance Klay Thompson’s Replacement
Hollinger said the Warriors got the best replacement for Thompson in Hield.
“The Warriors replaced a 41 percent career 3-point shooter with a 40 percent career 3-point shooter, and Hield is three years younger, less destructively thirsty inside the arc and more capable of guarding the perimeter. (Hield isn’t exactly a DPOY candidate, but Thompson has reached a point where he mostly has to be hidden on fours.),” Hollinger wrote.
Hield and Stephen Curry were already being hyped as the “Splash Buddies,” an ode to the “Splash Brothers” monicker Curry and Thompson as Warriors teammates.
The 31-year-old Hield averaged 12.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game with the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers last season.
“I don’t see nothing wrong with it but we just gotta take it day by day,” Hield told reporters, per 95.7 The Game, when asked for reaction about the “Splash Buddies” monicker with Curry.
Hield will have large shoes to fill but he looks to be up to task as he is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters not named Curry and Thompson, hitting 40% on a high-volume 7.6 attempts in his career.
Kyle Anderson’s Fit With Warriors
Hollinger also likes the fit of Anderson with the Warriors.
“Slo-Mo is a tough fit for some rosters because of his limited floor spacing, but in a Warriors system that’s all about reading, reacting and IQ, he should be perfect. He averaged 3.5 assists for every turnover last year as a point forward in Minnesota and likely can fill a similar role when Stephen Curry is off the floor,” Hollinger wrote about Anderson. “Additionally, he was by far the Wolves’ best Luka Dončić defender in the Western Conference finals.”
Anderson averaged 6.4 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 22.6 minutes off the bench last season for the Timberwolves. In the 2022-23 season, he shot a career-high 41% from the 3-point distance although on a small volume.
As a bonus, the Warriors also signed De’Anthony Melton with the full midlevel exception as a direct result of Thompson’s exit as they went below the tax apron for the first time in many years.
While Hollinger said the Thompson for Hield and Anderson swap “won’t put the Warriors back in the title chase on their own,” they managed to get three veteran players who fit their style without costing them their first-round draft capital.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
