The Los Angeles Lakers missed out on signing Klay Thompson as the former All-Star took less money to join the Dallas Mavericks. While Klay’s motivations to join the Mavericks were more about the opportunity to contend amidst a dimmer spotlight, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka reportedly didn’t even speak to Klay directly while recruiting the four-time champion.
“The Athletic reported that Rob Pelinka never actually got Klay on the phone. He got his agent on the phone. So while Michael Finley and Nico Harrison are sitting at dinner with Klay Thompson, Rob Pelinka is sitting like, ‘Straight to voicemail, what’s going on?'”
I LITERALLY had to pull OVER! WTF did nick just say? 😲😡 pic.twitter.com/GA3rMdkS08
— WE STACK CHIPS (@LAKERSRISE) July 4, 2024
The report that Nick Wright is referring to was written by Sam Amick, where Amick shared that Klay rejected a four-year, $80 million contract in favor of a three-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks.
“League sources say a Lakers deal would have been far more lucrative, with discussions about a four-year, $80 million deal for Thompson if they had been able to convince the Warriors to cooperate in a sign-and-trade…. He had phone conversations with James and new Lakers coach JJ Redick that were all positive, league sources say, with Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka staying in touch with Lawrence, but the allure of the Lakers situation simply didn’t match what the Mavericks had to offer. “
Amick’s words do imply that LeBron James and JJ Redick spoke to Klay directly but Pelinka stayed in touch with Klay through his agent. While that probably didn’t alter Klay’s decision-making, it’s a pretty surprising revelation given how important a Thompson signing for the Lakers was.
Klay averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists last season, shooting 38.7% from 9.0 three-point attempts per game. He’ll lend his legendary shooting abilities to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, while the Lakers continue on in this offseason with no major additions just yet.
Buddy Hield Also Declined Joining The Lakers
The Lakers stayed on the market for a major free-agent shooter who they could acquire after missing out on Thompson. Unfortunately, the shooter they targeted was Buddy Hield, who has signed a contract with the Warriors.
Shams Charania revealed that the Lakers along with the Pistons pursued Hield before the shooter joined Golden State.
“Hield chose the Warriors because of the opportunity to win over other interested suitors, including the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers. After losing Thompson, the Warriors were in desperate search for a high-volume shooter who could open up the floor a bit more in some of their lineup combinations. That’s Hield’s specialty. Since 2017, the only player to make more 3-pointers than Hield is his new teammate, Steph Curry.”
The theme of free agents turning down the Lakers to sign with their Western Conference rivals is not one they should accept. They used to be the pinnacle of recruitment, but it seems the spotlight brought by LeBron and the franchise is one that stars are trying to avoid.
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