FORT WORTH, Texas — The hug between Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson as teammates will be sincere but laced with a life time of regret.

Thompson coming to the Dallas Mavericks as a part of a sign-and-trade is one of the biggest offseason veteran additions this franchise has ever made. For years one of the biggest problems the Mavericks had was their consistent inability to sign Grade A free agents.

After chasing the A they typically landed the B and C types; your Wes Matthews. Chandler Parsons. Monta Ellis. A few others you can’t name, or want to forget.

Thompson choosing the Mavericks over the Los Angeles Lakers means one of the game’s best 3-point shooters preferred to play with Luka Doncic rather than LeBron James.

It also means that Thompson wants to play in the same back court with a player who is the face of the biggest regret of his NBA career.

Thompson recently appeared on that “All The Smoke” podcast hosted by former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. The pair hosts the show with guests who are NBA players, usually retired, who tell stories from their playing days.

Thompson admitted his biggest regret in his basketball career was when he was cited for possession of marijuana, in 2011 during the final season of his time at Washington State University.

The biggest regret of his NBA career came in the 2016 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers had Kyrie and LeBron, and they trailed the series 3-1 against Klay’s Dynasty Golden State Warriors before coming back to force a Game 7.

Game 7 was tied at 89 with 55 seconds remaining when Kyrie hit what would be the game-winning 3-pointer.

The taller Thompson was initially guarding Irving on the play, and this is where Thompson can’t forgive himself.

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