The Los Angeles Lakers were active in their efforts to beat out the Dallas Mavericks and land Klay Thompson. Unfortunately, the Lakers couldn’t convince the player to join them, nor could they convince the Lakers to accept D’Angelo Russell as the returning piece of a sign-and-trade, according to Chris Haynes.
“I was told the Lakers made a very compelling offer, it was around the three to four years mark, somewhere along the lines of $20 million per year. They didn’t get their guy. They were going to take a sign-and-trade scenario, so it had nothing to do with LeBron’s decision to take less. It just did not happen. It would have likely involved D’Angelo Russell to be involved in a deal to get Klay. I was told by the Warriors weren’t interested in bringing back D’Angelo Russell, so that wasn’t feasible.”
Haynes made it clear the Lakers are still searching the market for star-level options to acquire this summer.
“The Lakers right now are still trying to identify who that player is going to be. They’re seeking a star caliber player, whether that’s via LeBron James sacrificing money and taking the full mid-level, or a sign-and-trade scenario.”
Lakers offered Klay Thompson '$20M per [year]' and proposed D'Angelo Russell to Warriors in sign-and-trade deal.
The Warriors declined, per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/HcfK0PxoM0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2024
The Mavericks were one step ahead of the Lakers in their pursuit of Klay. Trading away Tim Hardaway Jr. last week gave them the space required to make a push for Klay without getting hard-capped. They still needed to move one player, sending Josh Green to Charlotte for second-round picks which helped them land Klay.
Given how the Warriors didn’t take someone like Josh Green when they could’ve, there was no way they were accepting D’Angelo Russell, even with him being on an expiring contract. In addition, Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that Klay turned down four-year offers with more money to join the Mavs.
“Thompson had four-year offers for more money, but taking less was offset by the chance to win a fifth championship with the Mavs and difference in state taxes.”
Klay averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists last season, shooting 38.7% from three on 9.0 attempts per game. He was fourth on the total three-pointers made chart last season, proving he’s still an elite shooter even if he had a noticeable regression.
Great Move By The Mavericks
It’s hard to even imagine the Mavericks beating out the Lakers in pursuit of a free agent, but the modern Mavericks are among the most attractive teams in the NBA. Jason Kidd is a well-regarded coach while Kyrie Irving is an inspiration to many players around the NBA.
Despite Luka Doncic being hard to play with, no doubt playing alongside him guarantees contention and the easiest three-point opportunities of any team in the NBA. Klay Thompson evaluated all of this and decided that the Mavs are a better home for him than the Lakers.
Hopefully, Thompson is able to help the Mavericks build off their 2024 NBA Finals appearance. While some of the deadweight on the roster has been shed, Klay’s championship experience will be relied upon to inspire the roster through next season, as the goal to bring a title back to Dallas has become clearer.
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