Legendary sharpshooter Klay Thompson is reportedly on the cusp of leaving the Golden State Warriors and several teams are in pursuit. Among them is the Los Angeles Lakers, who are being described as early frontrunners to sign the 4x champion.
“Thompson and the Warriors have had close to no communication since the negotiating period opened for incumbent free agents nearly two weeks ago and no offer has been made,” wrote The Athletic’s Shams Charania. “The Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are expected to be among strong suitors for Thompson, according to league sources. Multiple teams with salary cap space are expected to show interest in Thompson as well.”
Rumblings have been growing for weeks that Thompson and the Warriors were not on the best of terms, but it seems like they’ve had very minimal contact since the negotiating period began. Thompson, a 5x All-Star, is looking for multiple years on a lucrative deal but it seems like too much to ask from the Warriors, who have pretty much ghosted the guy who helped them win those championships years ago.
It remains to be seen how the Warriors will respond to losing a fan favorite but they need to make a move if they want to avoid sliding down the standings next season. As for Klay, he will meet with various teams over the next few days and weeks but this is a perfect opportunity for the Lakers to add some firepower.
The 35-year-old sharpshooter is not as effective as he used to be but he’s still someone who can provide a major boost for the Purple and Gold. In 77 games last season, he averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 43.3% shooting.
With LeBron James set to return next season and play alongside his son, the Lakers will be looking to be competitive, and adding a proven veteran and long-range sniper to the lineup will certainly help improve their chances.
LeBron James Will Take A Pay Cut For Klay Thompson
LeBron is a sure-fire bet to return to the Lakers this summer but as a free agent, he’ll be free to negotiate the terms of his deal. While James would normally demand the max, he might be willing to take a pay cut if it means adding a legend like Klay Thompson to the team.
“The type of player that James would be willing to make a financial sacrifice for would be an established veteran playmaker like James Harden or Klay Thompson, or an established big man to play alongside Anthony Davis — like Jonas Valanciunas, sources told ESPN.”
It remains to be seen how this summer plays out for the Lake Show, but LeBron is hopeful that they can get a deal done to upgrade the roster and add another proven veteran like Klay to compete with the Western Conference elites.
With the Mavericks, 76ers, and other teams in pursuit, Klay will have his pick of various teams and it might ultimately come down to which one is willing to pay the most. The Lakers only have so many assets to spare but it could be enough to pull off a deal.
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