DENVER – For the Golden State Warriors and their fans, the return of four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson on Tuesday will likely be a celebration of one in all the best players in franchise history.

As for the brand new Dallas Mavericks defenseman, it doesn’t appear like his first game in the Bay Area against his old team has been circled on his calendar.

“This chapter is over,” Thompson told Andscape after the Mavericks’ 122-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. “I’m in the technique of attempting to win here. There’s no point in losing anything when we’ve such a fantastic opportunity here to be great. There’s no point in looking back…

“I have to look to the future. I have to try to give it my all.”

The Warriors chosen Thompson with the eleventh pick in the 2011 NBA draft out of Washington State. The five-time NBA All-Star averaged 19.6 points and three.1 three-pointers per game over 11 seasons with the Warriors. Playing with the Warriors in Oakland, California and San Francisco, Thompson won 4 NBA championships and played in six NBA Finals.

Thompson is sixth in Warriors history in points (15,531), fourth in games played (793) and second behind Stephen Curry in three-pointers made with 2,481. He scored 60 points in 29 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on December 5, 2016 and set an NBA record 14 three-pointers in a game against the Chicago Bulls on October 29, 2018.

With the early-season matchup against the Warriors looming, Thompson told Andscape he did not have time to reflect on his accomplishments.

“I appreciate it, but I’m still trying to keep going and keep winning here,” Thompson said Sunday during his postgame press conference.

In recent years, the Warriors have rewarded Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and current Washington Wizards goaltender Jordan Poole with latest contract extensions. Thompson, who missed 2019-2021 attributable to injury, didn’t reach the terms of his contract extension despite being eligible to play last season and have become an unrestricted free agent in June. The two-time All-NBA player averaged 17.9 points for the Warriors last season, his lowest scoring average because the 2012-13 season. After contract talks with Golden State stalled, the 34-year-old agreed to a three-year contract price $50 million against the Mavericks on July 1.

Asked if there was anything he was most dissatisfied about his departure, Thompson told Andscape: “Honestly, not really. This is what it looks like.”

While the Warriors missed the playoffs in the 2023-24 season, the Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals with stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. By signing with the Mavericks, Thompson joined a team that was the Western Conference champion while the Warriors seemed to be in decline.

However, Curry, Green and the Warriors began this season 8-2, tied with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder for the perfect record in the West. The Mavericks are 5-5 and Thompson is third on the team in scoring (14.2 points per game).

Thompson told Andscape he’s confident this will likely be a “special” season for the Mavs.

“We have real experience and a chance to win,” Thompson said. “I do know we’re .500 immediately and we’re playing mediocre basketball. But in my experience, the season is long and you will have to peak at the suitable moment…

“You have to keep going, keep your emotions and stay the course. Keep a smile on your face. It’s a long (season). We have a chance to be special.”

Curry, Thompson and Green were amongst essentially the most successful trios in NBA history. He and the Warriors won 4 NBA championships with a combined 518 regular-season and playoff victories. Their 98 playoff wins rank third in NBA history amongst three-team teams, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Information research.

Has Thompson been in contact with Curry and Green?

“I’m locked up. Probably not,” Thompson told Andscape. “I’ll see them after I see them. That’s all.”

Thompson was beloved in the Bay Area for all the time being himself. Thompson threw paper airplanes constituted of boxes on the media after post-match press conferences and was well-known for having an English bulldog named Rocco who was pictured next to him in an motion figure doll handed out at a Warriors home game. He earned the nickname “Captain Klay” for sailing his boat across the San Francisco Bay to games on the Chase Center after the Warriors moved from Oakland to San Francisco in 2019.

Thompson told Andscape that the one thing he misses in regards to the Bay Area is “the water,” but he has no plans to take his boat to Tuesday’s game.

Golden State is looking Tuesday’s game against Dallas a “Captain Klay Salute.” Before introducing Thompson, the Warriors will play a one-minute tribute video. Curry is anticipated to deliver a speech in honor of Thompson, and all fans attending the sport will receive a white captain’s hat with the Warriors logo to tip their hat to Thompson in the course of the introduction. The Warriors have said they plan to retire Thompson’s No. 11 jersey sooner or later.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. “I feel all of us are. It will likely be very emotional. I do know our fans are ready for it and might’t wait to see Klay.

“I think it’s good news for the fans. Bravo for that,” Thompson said Sunday.

Coincidentally, this can be the primary NBA Cup game for the Warriors and Mavericks. Thompson was excited in regards to the second edition of the intraseason tournament, with the ultimate 4 going down in Las Vegas in December.

“Obviously it will be good to see the people you raced against,” Thompson said Sunday. “For me, it’s just one other November regular season game. Of course, the NBA Cup has greater implications. So it’s in our minds to win it.

Despite all of the Warriors’ plans and anticipated excitement, Thompson doesn’t think he’ll be distracted by all of the hype in his honor. He also told Andscape that he doesn’t expect his return to be emotional.

Why?

“I’ve been playing basketball a long time,” Thompson said Sunday. “Basketball is basketball.”