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Mar 29, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) celebrates his team’s win against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Mavericks’ New Addition Hyped to Pair With Klay Thompson

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 12:07 PM ET

One of Klay Thompson’s newest teammates is the former All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell.

While both players are former members of the Golden State Warriors, they never crossed paths on the court over there. At last, Russell gets to live one of his NBA dreams by playing alongside Thompson in Dallas.

Of all the exciting players he’ll get a chance to share the court with during his first season in Dallas, Thompson definitely carries the most intrigue.

“I can’t wait to play with Klay—that’s like 2K to me,” Russell said on The Backyard.

“Dallas just made itself known. I remember I was like, I’m going to go play open gym. They said Klay is going to be there. I’m like, ‘Hell yeah.’ We didn’t get to play with each other in Golden State. He knows, I played against him. He knows who I am. I know what you’re gonna do for my game, but for you to know what I’m gonna do for your game, bro, we’re locked. Like what? And we have plays where we’re on the court playing with each other, and I’m thinking ahead of him. And he’s like my bad. And I’m like, yeah, I see it, bro.”

D’Angelo Russell talks about how excited he is to play with Coop, AD, Max, Naji and Klay…

Sounds like the DLO and Klay chemistry will be very special

(via @The_BackyardPod) pic.twitter.com/l1j48YgxVz
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) September 18, 2025

Russell, the former second-round pick, has bounced around quite a bit since entering the NBA out of Ohio State in 2015. He spent his first two seasons on the Los Angeles Lakers before ending up on the Brooklyn Nets in 2017.

During his tenure in Brooklyn, Russell entered All-Star territory. Then, he went to the Warriors in 2019-2020. There was a chance he could play with Thompson, but severe setbacks had the All-Star sharpshooter missing plenty of time. Plus, Russell’s stint with the Warriors would last just 33 games.

The Warriors moved Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He ended up playing two full seasons in Minnesota before getting traded 54 games into the 2022-2023 season. That’s when Russell ended up in his second stint with the Lakers. Last year, that run with the Lakers ended after 29 appearances. Russell would put on another 29 matchups in a second stint with the Nets before hitting the free agency market in 2025.

Back in July, the Mavs added Russell on a two-year deal. With Thompson healthy and gearing up for his second season with the Mavs, he’ll soon share the court with Russell, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 assists during his second Brooklyn run.

“I can’t wait to play with him,” Russell stated. “Like I’m high-level bro. Like I see when you’re open. You don’t even know you’re open. Like, be ready for me, bro. Trust me. For all the 2Kers out there: [Klay is] my, when I hold R1 and press circle and I don’t know where circle is, you’re my shooter.”

The Mavericks have a lot to prove after flipping Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis and landing the top prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft with Duke's Cooper Flagg. Russell looks forward to sharing the court with those mentioned, but the former second pick seems confident a duo formed with Thompson could put the Western Conference on notice.