Now that Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors have finally decided to part ways, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are vying to have the services of the sharpshooter. Further, Brian Windhorst hinted that a Thompson-Lakers pairing is on the cards. The analyst went to ESPN’s Get Up show and revealed that the Lakers could soon pull off moves to land the 4x champion.
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Host Jay Williams pointed out that Klay Thompson was born in LA and since his father Mychal Thompson calls Lakers games, he appears to be a natural fit for the historied franchise.
Windy admitted that Klay could mesh well with the Lakers culture. He also pointed out that as LeBron James’ maximum contract extension is on the cards, the Lakers are on the cusp of entering the “second apron” of the luxury tax threshold. Thus, offering big bucks to the SG is a huge challenge for the Californian franchise.
Despite the tricky territories, he expects the Lakers to engage in trade to open the pathway for Klay. Windhorst disclosed,
“The Lakers are trying to get it done and they may get it done. But, the thing about the Lakers are with what they have got on the roster, and what they have got to maneuver under the apron, with eventually re-signing LeBron James. They are just a step away. ”
.@windhorstESPN says the Lakers are "a step away" from being able to bring Klay Thompson to L.A. 👀 pic.twitter.com/hm4OfMWCab
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 1, 2024
Thus, the possibility of the sharpshooter joining the Lakers can only increase if the Lakers unload some hefty contracts to free up the cap space. They might do everything in their power to make it happen since their franchise face LeBron James is eager to lace it up alongside Klay.
LeBron James willing to sacrifice money for Klay Thompson
Recently, NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that when the free agency opened on June 30, LeBron James didn’t hesitate to contact Klay. While the 34-year-old is looking at the Dallas Mavericks and James’ Lakers, the call could have a significant impact on his free agency decision.
Apart from that, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that LeBron James is willing to take a pay cut of around $10 million so that the Lakers could offer Thompson a viable contract. However, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to be the front-runners to land the SG.
They have more cap space than the Lakers while their system, consisting of two elite guards, can open up things for him. Apart from that, while the Lakers have been in dire straits during recent years, the Mavs are coming off a finals run, and at this point, Klay would want to play where he has a better chance of winning it all.
