SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors’ Christmas Day opponent does not share a time zone or even a division with Golden State, but it would be difficult to find a more fitting foe for the NBA’s flagship day than the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs dwell among the Western Conference’s bottom-feeders, but no team in either conference presents the sheer volume of storylines as the outfit from Texas’ largest city.
From beloved Bay Area icons returning home to the best rookie in the league to a possible trade target and more, there is plenty for Warriors fans to be excited about.
Klay is back
Although it has now been almost two years since Klay Thompson starred as one half of the game-changing “Splash Bros.” duo, he remains a franchise icon.
Thompson helped the franchise win four titles while making five All-Star teams and earning four All-NBA selections. He missed two full years with injuries, but returned in the back half of the 2022 season to help the Warriors win the NBA title.
Thompson left for the Mavericks in free agency in the summer of 2024.
Thompson, now 35, is not the terrifying flame-thrower he once was, but he has remained a credible outside threat by shooting 35.3% from 3-point land.
The Warriors gave Thompson a lavish welcome home last November, and he should receive another thunderous ovation from the Chase Center crowd on Christmas Day.
Jason Kidd returns
Jason Kidd signs autographs after a championship win on March 14, 1992. (Daniel J. Murphy/Tribune Archives)When discussing the greatest hoopers to come out of the Bay Area, Jason Kidd is a lock for that Mt. Rushmore. The Mavericks coach was once a basketball prodigy from the East Bay.
He was the 1992 Oakland Tribune boys high school player of the year after averaging 25.3 points, 9.8 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 7.1 steals per game as a senior at St. Joseph-Notre Dame in Alameda.
Kidd was the driving force of the Pilots’ march to back-to-back CIF Division I championships as a junior and senior, defeating Fremont-Los Angeles and Mater Dei-Santa Ana in those title contests.
He then went on to a stellar two-year stay at Cal before embarking on a Hall of Fame NBA career as a player.
Kidd coached the 2022 Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals, which saw Thompson and the Warriors eliminate the Mavs in five games. Two years later, Dallas reached the NBA Finals before being knocked out by Boston.
Davis possible trade target
The Warriors are expected to be active in the trade market once Jonathan Kuminga’s Jan. 15 trade barrier is passed.
The 23-year-old is currently out of the rotation but is expected to be a movable trade chip as the centerpiece of a move that will take the athletic wing to a new team and a fresh start. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton opined that Dallas could be that place.
In a recent column, the salary cap expert theorized that Kuminga, Hield and the embattled Draymond Green could be moved as part of a multi-team trade that would net the Warriors Davis and fellow backup center Mason Plumlee.
Davis, as he has for much of his career, has struggled with injuries during his stint in Dallas ever since being traded for Luka Doncic in last February’s ultra-blockbuster trade with the Lakers.
But at his best, Davis, 32, brings 21 points and 11.6 rebounds a night while providing the kind of rim protection and offensive production the Warriors have not had from a traditional center in decades.
Flagg makes Bay Area debut
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Cooper Flagg just turned 19 and is already averaging 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a do-it-all forward. Flagg’s 42 points against the Jazz broke James’ record for the most points by an 18-year-old in NBA history.
Since being selected No. 1 overall out of Duke by a front office led by former Warriors president Rick Welts, Flagg has become the front-runner for Rookie of the Year.
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