Klay Thompson’s Mavericks exit now inevitable after Risacher trade: report

Klay Thompson’s exit from the Dallas Mavericks is no longer a maybe: it’s a when. The club’s blockbuster trade for No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher has made the 36-year-old sharpshooter’s future in Texas increasingly untenable, league insider Marc Stein reports.

What happened?

The Mavericks swung a three-team deal on 18 June to land Risacher, Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser, then drafted Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio De Larrea and Tobi Lawal in the 2026 NBA Draft. With Luka Dončić already shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers, Thompson’s original reason for joining Dallas vanished. He’s logged 141 games for the Mavs, averaging 12.9 points and 38.7% from three.

Why it matters for Klay Thompson

Thompson still owns elite range, but Risacher’s arrival blocks minutes in a wing rotation that already includes Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall. Dallas invested $50 million over three years to pair Thompson with Dončić, yet the duo played just 21 games together. Now Ujiri must either extract value via trade or clear cap space with a buyout.

Miami surfaces as a prime destination if LeBron James returns. Yet the Heat lack trade chips after gutting their assets. A buyout would let Thompson land in South Beach, but Dallas gains nothing from it. That math flips with Risacher in the fold: the French wing needs regular run to develop, and Thompson becomes the odd man out.

What comes next?

Ujiri still prefers a trade, but the window is closing. Thompson’s camp has targeted Miami, and a buyout remains viable if Dallas can’t pry loose a worthwhile return. Risacher’s presence turns “possible” into “probable”: and Thompson’s next stop could arrive before the 2026-27 season tips off.

Thompson’s Dallas tenure ends with a whimper rather than a bang. The Mavericks moved on from Dončić, and now they’re moving on from Thompson, too.