NBA trade grades: Warriors get little to nothing in return for splash brother Klay Thompson

The Golden State Warriors are officially down to one Splash Brother.

Klay Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks on Monday afternoon. He was offered more from the Los Angeles Lakers — reportedly in the ballpark of $80 million across four years — but Thompson opted to join the reigning champs, in part due to the friendly tax laws in Dallas compared to LA.

It's a great addition for the Mavs, even with the concerns tied to Klay's age and diminishing defense. He brings immediate 3-point shooting help and a viable third scorer to share the burden with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

That said, the Mavs were not a cap space team. Dallas didn't have $16.7 million annually to hand out, so the resulting transaction was a sign-and-trade — a gift to the Warriors, who would have lost Klay for nothing had he negotiated with the Orlando Magic or another team with available room.

Now that we have the details of said "trade," however, it's hard not to feel a bit underwhelmed from the Dubs' perspective.

Warriors finalize sign-and-trade to send Klay Thompson to Mavericks

Golden State receives two future second-round picks — the least favorable of Denver or Philadelphia's in 2025, and the Mavs' second-round pick in 2031, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes — in exchange for a true franchise legend. Thompson was integral to four championship runs in Golden State and will one day have his No. 11 hung from the Chase Center rafters.

It's fair to call this a blow to the Warriors. The plan, allegedly, was to bring Thompson off the bench behind Brandin Podziemski next season. Both sides were due for a split, as strange and otherworldly as it feels, and Thompson is not the two-way star of old. The Mavs need to temper their expectations a bit.

All the same, losing him for nothing except a couple second-round picks and a traded player exception is brutal. Maybe that TPE comes in handy for a future trade, but the Dubs are losing assets by the minute. Once equipped with Chris Paul's $30 million expiring salary as trade fodder, Golden State is now down to building major trade offers around Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney. It's tough.

The Warriors haven't necessarily taken a step back — the De'Anthony Melton signing should adequately replace Thompson's value in different ways — but they sure haven't taken a step forward. For a team losing ground in a competitive Western Conference, that is the crucial point here. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are both well on the wrong side of 30. This "dynasty" is crumbling and the front office isn't doing nearly enough to sustain it.

For the Mavs, well, it's an affordable deal to land Thompson, a legendary shooter who is bound to change the geometry of the offense with his movement shooting ability. He faces a new style of play in Dallas, but Thompson should enjoy the steady stream of open looks fed by Doncic and Irving.

The Charlotte Hornets, somehow, are the big winners here. Adding Josh Green for a few second-round picks is highway robbery. Even after an up-and-down fourth season, Green is a 23-year-old on a friendly contract who just hit 38.5 percent of his 3s and provided critical wing defense for the Western Conference champs. He is going to earn minutes in Charlotte, even with Brandon Miller, Tidjane Salaun, and Grant Williams soaking up playing time.

Warriors grade: D
Mavericks grade: B
Hornets grade: A