“LeBron Really About to Steal Him”: Klay Thompson’s Cryptic IG Story Sends Rumor Mill in Overdrive

The Golden State Warriors’ off-season has officially kicked off as Klay Thompson weighs his options following the end of his contract with the Dubs. The Splash Brother recently made waves on NBA Twitter after he unfollowed the Warriors on Instagram, which has caused the masses to believe that Thompson won’t be returning to the San Francisco franchise next season. Amidst all this, his recent Instagram story has caused a similar stir.

Klay Thompson, 34, reportedly turned down a two-year, $48 million extension with the Warriors last year, choosing to bet on himself. However, Thompson’s stocks have tanked further after he put up his second-worst statistical season in 2023-24. Therefore, it’s quite likely that he parts ways with the Bay Area side this summer.

In a surprising turn of events, Thompson has recently been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers. Klay recently shared a throwback picture on his Instagram stories of himself playing ball at an undisclosed location. However, the silhouette of palm trees in the background of the picture looked like Southern California.

“Man I miss this place so much,” Klay wrote in the caption. Soon NBA Twitter erupted with speculations of a possible LeBron James-Klay Thompson team-up in LA.

The Warriors fan page, @WarriorsTalk, quickly caught onto Klay’s story, as they reported that the undisclosed location could be Antioch, CA, on Deer Valley Road.

While a majority of people seemed to agree, an X user, @Samolianssam disagreed, pointing out how the location was a popular place called Capo Beach. The post further explained that the court at Capo Beach was destroyed in 2015 due to high tides, thus making sense of Klay’s nostalgia-ridden story.

Regardless, with Thompson being a Los Angeles kid, it’s understandable why the picture prompted the rumor mill to put Thompson in a purple and gold uniform. In fact, one X user @oldenstate even commented under the X post, claiming that Thompson to the Lakers was a done deal, hilariously adding that,

“Lebron really bout to steal him lol smh”

In the coming months, Thompson might actually put on Laker colors like his dad did before him. Because, unlike the Warriors, the Lakers can easily dump off talent and salaries to make way for the 34-year-old sharpshooter.

Thompson can also restrict his entire game to just being a catch-and-shoot player with the Lakers, a strategy that limits the strain on his injury-prone joints, making it possible for him to add a little more longevity to his career.

However, it’s uncertain whether the Lakers would go for an ageing star like Klay at this juncture, especially after his poor showing last year. LeBron James’ future with the Lakers is also not set in stone with his contract expiring this summer. However, there’s no doubt that the free agency this year will be eventful for both Thompson and James.