When Klay Thompson decided to sign with Dallas Mavericks instead of the Los Angeles Lakers, you would think his father would be happy for his son. Klay’s dad, Mychal, is happy for his son, but he has mixed feelings about Klay’s decision.

Klay signed a three-year $50 million free agent deal to join the Mavericks after spending 13 years - winning four NBA titles - with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson considered the Mavericks and the Lakers, but opted to go with the team that reached the NBA Finals last season. The Lakers were eliminated in the first round.

Mychal was less than thrilled with Klay’s decision.

“I’m really disappointed. I was hoping, as you can assess, that he would be a Laker,” Thompson said Tuesday during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio’s “The Starting Lineup” Show. “And it was close. It came down to the Lakers and the Mavs, but the Mavs won out. But you know me, I was hoping and praying he’d finish his career with the Lakers.”

Mychal won two NBA championships as a member of the “Showtime” Lakers and is now the team’s radio color commentator. Klay was born in Los Angeles and his high school jersey is retired at Santa Margarita High School. Mychal figured it would be a natural progression for Klay to return to his roots.

“He grew up a Laker fan. He grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant, like most players his age, most kids his age,” Mychal said. “So I just thought it seemed to be the perfect fit for him to finally come back home, ‘cause we always talked about him playing for the Lakers if he was not a Golden State Warrior, where else would he want to play?”

Thompson, along with fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry, powered the Warriors to an incredible run when they won four championships and made six trips to the NBA Finals between 2015 and 2022. However, Thompson’s role was up and down throughout the 2023-24 season, going from starter to the bench amid a diminished role. He averaged 17.9 points per game last season, his lowest since 2012-13.

Thompson was paid $40.9 million last season, the final season on five-year, $190 million contract he signed with the Warriors.

Clearly the chance to play for a team that most evaluators say is trending upward and financial factor - Texas does not have an income tax - surely played a role in Thompson’s decision to join the Mavericks. Mychal admittedly is disappointed with Klay’s decision, but he’s happy his son will be able to continue his NBA career.

“I mean, obviously, it’s Klay’s decision, it’s his life, he’s a grown man, 34 years of age. Just like we were 34 one time and our fathers used to give us advice and, you know, we would choose our own path. And that’s fine, that’s what life is supposed to be about,” Thompson said. “I’ll live with it, I accept it and I’m happy for him that he’s happy with his decision, but yeah, of course I tried to sell him on the Lakers.”