Leading up to free agency, LeBron James offered to take a pay cut to help the Los Angeles Lakers land another impact player to get back into championship contention.
The immediate target became Klay Thompson, who was expected to leave the Golden State Warriors and had a number of suitors in free agency. At the start of free agency, it was reported that Thompson would meet with the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, L.A. Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.
If it was up to Klay’s dad Mychal, who is a radio broadcaster for the Lakers, his son would be back home in L.A. James also did his part to recruit the sharpshooter, giving him a call right when free agency started.
Thompson is his own man though as had a decision to make for himself, and he wound up choosing the Mavericks, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
BREAKING: Free agent Klay Thompson plans to join the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year, $50M deal with a player option, sources tell ESPN. Thompson ends his historic Warriors run as part of a multi-team sign-and-trade that’ll also send Josh Green to Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/4GJ5hR3H5o
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024
While Thompson is no longer the five-time All-Star he once was, he is still coming off a season in which he played 76 games and averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
The Lakers are clearly prioritizing shooting this offseason under new head coach JJ Redick and the 34-year-old is still one of the league’s premiere snipers, knocking down 38.7% of his triples on 9.0 attempts per game last season.
With that being the case, it makes sense that the Lakers had interest in the 34-year-old. After losing out to Dallas though, they will have to turn their attention elsewhere to add shooting to the organization.
Lakers believe D’Angelo Russell & Austin Reaves backcourt reached ceiling
Part of the reason the Lakers were looking to acquire someone like Thompson is because reports indicate they feel the starting backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves has reached its ceiling.
Russell opted in to his $18.7 million player option, so if the Lakers were able to land someone like Thompson, they could look to flip him to address other roster needs.
While it already has been a busy offseason for Pelinka and the Lakers, things may just be getting started. Perhaps they now turn to someone like DeMar DeRozan, who they have been linked to for several years.
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