4 overrated NBA offseason moves that will fail to move the needle

1. Klay Thompson to the Mavericks

Coming off of a finals appearance last season, the Mavericks’ big move of the offseason was poaching Klay Thompson away from the Golden State Warriors. They also added Naji Marshall, Quentin Grimes, and Spencer Dinwiddie, but Thompson was their big move.

Losing Derrick Jones Jr. will be a tough pill for the Mavs to swallow, given his defensive impact at the wing last season. Thompson is a better floor spacer than Jones, but he does not have the same defensive impact after two major leg injuries in the last few years.

The Mavs plan to start Thompson and that may be a huge mistake. Having Thompson play next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving offensively is great, but the other end of the floor is the problem. Neither of those three are good perimeter defenders and cannot stop the point of attack. Asking Thompson to be a key perimeter defender in a conference loaded with elite guards and wings is a lot. He has lost most of his lateral quickness and ability to stay in front of players.

One of the main reasons the Mavs made the finals last season was because of their defense next to Doncic and Irving. Thompson does not elevate that, especially if he starts next to the two superstars. The best move would be for Thompson to come off the bench, something he did for a couple of games with the Warriors last year, but Dallas has made it a point to make it known that Thompson will be their starting small forward.

Thompson is nowhere near the same player that he was in his prime years and that isn’t his fault after two of the worst leg injuries an athlete can suffer. However, this move doesn’t move the needle a lot for the Mavs given the stage Thompson is at in his career.