Kevin Durant left Klay Thompson off his list of Warriors stars. Thompson answered on Instagram, and his Mavericks trade market has not moved.
DALLAS - Klay Thompson tagged Kevin Durant in an Instagram story this week after Durant named him while arguing that the reshaped Philadelphia 76ers roster grades out ahead of the Golden State Warriors teams the two of them won titles on.
Durant said Saturday that LeBron James and the 76ers have the offensive firepower to contend for the 2027 championship.
"The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on," Durant said at a USA Basketball charity event in Ladera Ranch, Calif. "[The 76ers] have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they're going to be a contender. They're going to be a fun team to watch. It's going to be League Pass-worthy."
A clip of the "E-Lab" podcast breaking down that comparison went up on Instagram over the weekend. Host Tevin J. Payne wrote in the comments that Philadelphia was talented, but nowhere near the Warriors team Durant joined in 2016.
Durant answered him there Monday and listed what each Philadelphia starter had won.
"Ain't close lmao," Durant explained. "Joel, MVP recently. Jaylen Brown, recent Finals MVP, Tyrese Maxey, All-Star the last 3 years. We all know what Bron does. Klay Thompson, never a MVP candidate in nothing, 22ppg. Draymond, 14ppg, 7 rebounds 6 assist, Steph a MVP just like Joel was. I don't get how the Warriors team is better on paper."
Thompson posted his reply to his own story and tagged Durant's account in it.
"Aye man, u good?" Thompson said. "What u using my full government name for?"
Former NBA forward Evan Turner responded on X.
"'Was never an MVP in anything' is a tad bit aggressive, LOL," Turner said.
Thompson averaged 22.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across 78 games in 2016-17, Durant's first season in Golden State. That was the third of Thompson's five All-Star selections. He has won four championships, two of them alongside Durant in 2017 and 2018.
Philadelphia acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston earlier this summer and signed James on July 24 to a two-year, $8 million contract carrying a player option and a full 15% trade kicker. James is 41 and made close to $53 million with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Brown each averaged at least 25 points per game in 2025-26.
Thompson is 36 and entering the final season of the three-year, $50 million deal he signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2024. Dallas owes him just under $17.5 million for 2026-27. He can reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2027.
Over 69 games last season, eight of them starts, Thompson averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.7 minutes. Those were career lows. He shot 39.3% from the field and 38.3% from 3-point range.
The Mavericks have explored Thompson's trade market and have yet to find a deal, Christian Clark of The Athletic reported Monday, citing multiple sources with rival teams. Clark also reported that Thompson would welcome a move to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still keeps a home.
Dallas carries 16 players on standard contracts after matching New York's two-year offer sheet for Moussa Cissé, one more than the league allows.
Masai Ujiri's first offseason running the front office brought in Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama, and Marcus Sasser by trade, plus draftees Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio De Larrea, and Tobi Lawal.
Miami has been mentioned repeatedly around the league as a destination and would rather wait for a buyout than surrender assets in a trade. An anonymous NBA scout told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel that Thompson would command somewhere near $5 million on the open market.
Durant averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in his first season with the Houston Rockets and made the All-NBA Second Team. Houston and Dallas share the Southwest Division and meet four times every regular season.
