Skip Bayless Alleges Rich Paul Manipulated Klay Thompson Rumors to Show LeBron James as Poor Sacrificing Superstar

Finally, it’s done! In a significant paradigm shift, Klay Thompson’s Golden State Warriors chapter has come to a close. He is going to start his new journey with the Dallas Mavericks. The Los Angeles Lakers lost the Thompson sweepstakes to their Western Conference rivals. However, Skip Bayless somehow found a way to bring LeBron James into the conversation. As per Bayless, Rich Paul was involved in rumors swirling about the link-up between the Lakers and Thompson.

The analyst stated that Paul crafted such a narrative to prove that if the Lakers didn’t end up landing Thompson, they would fail to provide LeBron with the required help.

He alleged that LBJ’s agent spread the rumors about him taking a pay cut to establish that the Lakers superstar is an unselfish athlete for whom winning matters more than a hefty cheque. For the 72-year-old, rumors around Thompson were a brainchild of Paul to roll out a favorable narrative toward James.

Additionally, he believes that the Lakers didn’t stand a chance to grab Thompson owing to the Californian strict tax regiment. They couldn’t have offered a contract that would have lured the sharpshooter. On his X, Bayless wrote,

“LAKER NATION: No way LeBron was going to take less than the max $160 mil for 3 yrs – so no way the Lakers could compete with the Mavs’ offer for Klay (including no state tax). Rich Paul was just blowing PR smoke setting up LBJ as the poor sacrificing superstar who has no help.”

LAKER NATION: No way LeBron was going to take less than the max $160 mil for 3 yrs – so no way the Lakers could compete with the Mavs' offer for Klay (including no state tax). Rich Paul was just blowing PR smoke setting up LBJ as the poor sacrificing superstar who has no help.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 2, 2024

Thus, as is typical of him, Bayless found a way to thrust LBJ into a conversation involving the Lakers. While his allegations are, as usual, over-the-top, there were indeed plenty of reports floating around LeBron James’ interest in Klay Thompson.

LeBron James couldn’t convince Klay Thompson?

Just a few days ago, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that as soon as the free agency opened on June 30, LBJ dialed Klay Thompson’s number. He was one of the first people to recruit him for their franchise. In fact, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin revealed that the Lakers superstar was willing to take a pay cut of up to $19 million on his impending max extension.

This was essential to ensure that the franchise didn’t fall under the second apron of the luxury tax threshold and could give Thompson the money he needed. Apparently, this was seemingly not enough to convince the great sharpshooter.

Perhaps the allure of playing with a squad that recently went to the finals over a squad that has been a play-in team in the last few years shaped his decision. The Mavericks are surely stronger with the addition of another elite guard.