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The longtime Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson recently joined the Dallas Mavericks this offseason. His transition to Dallas marked the end of a near-decade-long dynasty for the Warriors.
What may perhaps be the final chapter of his NBA career begins with a $50 million dollar deal on his new team. He told reporters that he’s excited to play for the Mavericks this season and that he’s not mad at the change at this point in his career. Not only he’s starting a new chapter in his career, he’s also donning a new number to signify the new chapter.
The Story Behind Klay Thompson’s Number On The Mavericks
Since Kyrie Irving wears 11 on the Dallas Mavericks, Klay chose to wear 31 as his new jersey number. It’s definitely an unfamiliar visual to many, but the legendary shooter chose to wear 31 to pay homage to another legendary shooter in the NBA Reggie Miller.
Shortly after Larry Bird departed from the league, Reggie Miller was known as the best 3-point shooter in the league for many years. He once held the record for most 3-pointers made all-time in the NBA until Ray Allen eventually broke that record. Thompson is currently 6th all-time in most 3-pointers made, behind Miller. Klay’s former teammate, Steph Curry, is at the top of that list, which is no surprise.
How Could The Mavericks Do Next Season With Klay Thompson?
Klay can be a solid third option for Dallas when their two main stars, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, are in a slump. Thompson averaged nearly 18 points last season, only one point short of his career average 19. He shot 38% from beyond the arc last season, below his career average of 41% from the 3-ball.
The Mavs nearly pulled out a miraculous run to a title but lost to the Celtics in five games last year. They overcame the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Minnesota Timberwolves before making it to the finals.
They could have another harsh playoff run as the Western Conference got even stronger this offseason. Could they make another NBA Finals run? Yeah, they could. However, it’ll be a tougher run compared to last season.
The Demar DeRozan acquisition the Kings got from Chicago greatly helped Sacramento. Denver lost Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic, but they’re still a strong team. Minnesota retained all of their pieces so far this offseason and will have a better gameplan when they run into the Mavs again.
Oklahoma City is going into this season with playoff experience and a little bit more age. Their pick-up of Isaiah Hartenstein from the Knicks was the key piece they were missing. He’ll add more size and strength to their center position, and possibly having Chet play the four can definitely scare their opponents.
If the Mavericks could fine-tune their game of creating open 3-ball shots from the corner, allow Kyrie and Luka to improve their chemistry even more, and adjust how they cut to the basket for their alley-oops, they can still be a threat in the Western Conference.
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NBA punishes Cavaliers for Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley decisions
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been fined $100,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy. The Cavs committed the violation when they rested both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for the team’s game at the Miami Heat on Nov. 12. The Cavs won the contest 130-116 but sat their top two scorers for rest reasons. The Cavs had consecutive road games in Miami on Nov. 10 and Nov. 12, but then headed home to host the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 13. Both Mobley and Mitchell played in the Nov. 13 game, though Mobley only played 7 minutes in the game. The NBA introduced the Player Participation Policy for the 2023-24 season to curb the practice of healthy star players sitting out games for strictly rest reasons. Teams get fined $100,000 for a first violation, $250,000 for a second and then $1 million for each occurrence thereafter. Both Mitchell and Mobley qualify as “star” players under the league’s definition. The Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are among the teams that have also been fined for similar violations. Mitchell is averaging 30.9 points per game this season, and Mobley is averaging 18.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Islanders-Stars game ends with ejection, review and Patrick Roy screaming
The New York Islanders' 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night ended with complete mayhem that included an ejection, Islanders coach Patrick Roy screaming and a replay review on what could have been a potential buzzer-beating game-tying goal. It is probably the most chaotic ending of the 2025-26 NHL season to date. Here's what happened. Mikko Rantanen ejected for hit that enraged Patrick Roy Things really started to pop off when Stars forward Mikko Rantanen was ejected for boarding Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov with just 27 seconds remaining. Rantanen was assessed a match penalty for the hit, resulting in Roy screaming at him between the benches. Roy is no stranger to these sorts of altercations in his head-coaching career, and he has repeatedly gotten himself into verbal — and nearly physical — altercations with opponents. His first game as an NHL head coach with the Colorado Avalanche nearly resulted in him climbing over the glass to fight then-Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau. He has passion. But that was only the start of the crazy ending. Potential buzzer-beating game-tying goal overturned on replay review As the Islanders were attempting to cling to a one-goal lead, the Stars appeared to tie the game with a buzzer-beating goal that would have sent the game to overtime, completing a wild comeback that started with a goal just one minute earlier. The only problem: The goal was taken away when it was determined that Stars forward Jason Robertson interfered with goalie David Rittich. Robertson definitely makes contact with Rittich in the crease, and he is responsible for making every possible effort to avoid that. But it is also true that Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock gives him a pretty good hit that sends him into the crease and into Rittich. The officials and NHL clearly did not think that was the cause of the interference and overturned the goal, securing the Islanders win. Goaltending interference can be a pretty subjective call. In this case, it did not favor the Stars.
CFP rankings: SEC in great shape after third reveal
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season were released on Tuesday night with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A M, Georgia and Texas Tech making up the top five. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders each move up one spot with Alabama falling down to 10th after a 23-21 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Ole Miss, Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama round out the top 10. The Big Ten and SEC continue their dominance by claiming eight of the top-10 spots, but the SEC looks to be in the best position of any league with five teams in the top 10, even with Alabama's second loss of the season. Alabama clings to playoff spot as SEC's outlook only grows stronger Here is a look at what the 12-team bracket would look like as of Tuesday: The biggest takeaway from this week's rankings is the position the SEC finds itself in. Texas A M, Georgia and Ole Miss appear to be in excellent shape, while Oklahoma and Alabama still find themselves in the projected field. Texas was the biggest loser, falling seven spots to No. 17 after its loss to Georgia. Even for Alabama, which suffered its second loss on Saturday, it could still find itself in the SEC Championship game depending on how everything plays out over the final two weeks, which could only strengthen its case even more. Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team at No. 13, ahead of No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia. With the five highest-ranked conference champions guaranteed to make the 12-team field, Miami would inherit the 11-seed as things currently stand. Following South Florida's loss to Navy, Tulane moves up to No. 24 and the 12th-seed as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. No. 11 BYU would be the first team out following the third reveal. There are two ranked matchups this weekend as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts No. 22 Missouri and No. 15 USC takes on No. 7 Oregon. With only two weeks of regular-season play remaining, time is running out to add quality wins to resumes, something each of these two games will certainly do. Assuming there are no more hiccups, the SEC has a realistic shot at getting five teams in the field. Week 12 presented an opportunity for other teams to move up, but after Texas A M completed its remarkable comeback over South Carolina and with Alabama remaining in the top 10, that does not bode well for the rest of the field.
Mets, Brandon Nimmo Trade Development Emerges on Tuesday
The New York Mets are entering the offseason looking to retool the roster with hopes of returning to the MLB playoffs in 2026. The Mets collapsed during the second half of the year, finishing with an 83–79 record. Despite the disappointing end to the year, outfielder Brandon Nimmo remained a bright spot in the lineup. The 32-year-old veteran posted a .262 batting average, .324 on-base percentage, .760 OPS, 25 home runs and 92 RBIs across 155 games. Nimmo has continued to be a reliable player for New York and just finished playing in his tenth season for the organization. The Mets are the only franchise Nimmo has ever known in his professional career since they selected him in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. However, that could change following a report on Tuesday from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “The Mets are blowing up plenty. It's not just Luisangel Acuña or Mark Vientos or Brett Baty — center fielder Brandon Nimmo (who has full no-trade protection) and utilityman Jeff McNeil can also be had,” Passan wrote. Nimmo’s name surfacing as a trade possibility is a genuine surprise given everything he has meant to the organization. At the very least, the Mets are now faced with a decision on whether to explore moving him. As noted, Nimmo has a full no-trade clause, which gives him the final say on any potential deal. He still has five years remaining on the eight-year, $162 million contract he signed with New York in 2023. While the Mets would likely prefer to keep Nimmo’s bat and leadership in the lineup, trading him could help replenish the farm system or address other areas of need, particularly pitching, which was a major weakness in 2025. A deal would also free up significant payroll space, potentially allowing the team to pursue other upgrades, including a possible reunion with first baseman Pete Alonso. The decision to trade Nimmo is not an easy one, but it is certainly intriguing. He will be entering his age-33 season, and offensive players often begin to decline around that point. Whatever the Mets decide, this offseason is shaping up to be a pivotal one for the future of the franchise.
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