Klay Thompson buried Nico Harrison with Luka Dončić response after Mavs' Play-In loss

A nightmare season for the Dallas Mavericks came to a fitting end on Friday night. There would be no circling the wagons, no spirited playoff push to give Nico Harrison some ammunition during the offseason with which to fire back about the instantly disastrous Luka Dončić trade. (Not that he seems to need much anyway.)

Instead, they went out the same way they'd played since Dončić's departure, getting shredded on the defensive end while spoiling a heroic effort from Anthony Davis in a 120-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Even more alarming than the loss itself was just how little fight Dallas showed; once the Grizz made their initial first-half push, seemingly everyone not named Davis appeared content to pack it in, about as "one, two, three, Cancun" an effort as you'll see from a team with its season on the line.

After the game, it became clearly just how big a toll the Dončić trade and its fallout has taken on this entire roster. Not only because of the media firestorm it kicked up, but because of the message it sent to the locker room.

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Klay Thompson's non-response to Luka Dončić question says it all

When Klay Thompson decided to leave the Golden State Warriors — the only organization he'd ever known, the team with whom he'd blossomed into a Hall of Famer and won four NBA titles — he did it primarily for the opportunity to support Dončić. Klay just turned 35; he doesn't have many more prime years left, and he wanted to spend them alongside one of the very best players in the entire league.

Instead, he seems set to spend it on a deeply flawed but kneecapped roster, in front of a fan base that understandably wants nothing to do with anything about this team. You can imagine how Thompson feels about that transition, and while he's refused to do anything but try and take the high road, he could hardly hide his disappointment when asked directly about the situation on Friday night.

You have to give Klay credit here; that's as respectful an answer as a player could possibly be expected to give in that situation. There's no way out here: If he's honest, he makes himself the story, but if he lies, he angers Dallas fans while also saying something he clearly doesn't believe. Shaking his head is really all there is to do.

Which is pretty much how Mavs fans feel at this point. The Dončić deal still feels like a bad dream all these weeks later, but there's no waking up any time soon.