Klay Thompson, alongside his new teammates, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes, took to the podium to be introduced as Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday morning at the team's practice facility.
Thompson spoke about how difficult it was to leave the Golden State Warriors, the only franchise he's ever known, for Dallas. But the star shooting guard says he's looking forward to being "rejuvenated" by the change of scenery and says he "has a lot of good basketball left in the tank" at age 34.
"Whether you play basketball or work in the corporate world. Sometimes change can just spur greatness," Thompson said. "A change of scenery can do wonders. I'm very grateful for my time at Golden State. But I just felt that moving on could re-energize me and (help me) do something special for the rest of my career.
"Dallas was so attractive because of the young players they have. Their style of play. The world-class treatment these players get from the organization. It's just a beautiful city that loves their hoops."
Thompson said he was drawn to the Mavericks this offseason while watching the team run through the gauntlet that is the Western Conference during the postseason before falling short to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Thompson, a career 41.3 percent three-point shooter, believes he can be the missing piece for a team that ultimately needed more reliable perimeter shooters to take pressure off All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in The Finals.
"When I was watching the Mavs make a run for a championship, I just saw myself fitting in really well with this team and the personnel. They look like they have fun playing with each other. They play for each other. And that was very attractive to me, and that's all I really needed to see," Thompson said. ... "You still can't leave me open. I can guard... I know I can help this team, whether it's through the knowledge I've gained or big-scoring nights. I just know I can still be a very good player in this league."