Klay Thompson has been in early trade rumors this season, and if the Dallas Mavericks do move on from him, they have the perfect replacement option waiting in their backyard in Max Christie. Mavericks fans fell in love with his game after he arrived in Dallas as part of the Luka Doncic trade last season, and he is taking his game to new heights in the first year of the Cooper Flagg era.
Christie has had an excellent start to his first full season in Dallas, as he is averaging 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting a career-high 46.5 percent from downtown on 5.6 attempts per game. He has been one of the Mavericks’ few bright spots on the offensive end of the floor, and he has shown that he has what it takes to replace Thompson and minimize the negative effects of sending him elsewhere.
Dallas started the season with Thompson as their starting shooting guard, but it quickly became clear that Christie was the better option on the wing. There wasn’t a single thing that Thompson was doing better than Christie, and it only took Kidd seven games to see enough of Thompson in the starting five.
Max Christie looks ready to replace Klay Thompson
Christie has been starting for Dallas since the fourth game of the season, and it looks like they have found a long-term starter who can grow alongside Flagg and fit their scheme on both ends of the floor. Wing defense has never been a problem for Christie, as he quickly proved that he is one of the best defenders on the team last season, and his excellence on that end of the floor has been evident this season.
He often defends the other team’s best guard, and the Mavericks can depend on him to be their defensive stopper for years to come.
While Thompson has been playing better as of late, it’s clear that his best days are behind him. He signed with the Mavericks to play with Luka Doncic, and now he is stuck on a team with the worst offense in the NBA.
This is not what he signed up for, and it would make the most sense to send him to a contender that needs more 3-point shooting. Trading Thompson would open up even more of an opportunity for Christie to morph into a star, and he may be the sole silver lining from the Doncic trade with the Mavericks shopping Anthony Davis on the open market.
Christie is only 22 years old, leaving plenty of room for him to grow. His off-ball cutting, guard skills, and confidence as a shooter all took noticeable leaps compared to how he performed in the 32 games he played in for the Mavericks last season, and the sky is the limit for him.
He has all of the tools to be a building block in Dallas with Flagg, Dereck Lively II, Brandon Williams, P.J. Washington, and Kyrie Irving, and his 3-and-D ability will make him a staple in Dallas’ rotation as they enter this new era.
The Mavericks have nothing to worry about if they trade Klay Thompson thanks to Max Christie’s ascension, and his evolution as a shooter and defender will help make him one of the most underrated young wings in the Western Conference.
