Since being eliminated from the playoffs at the end of April, the Los Angeles Lakers are pivoting to a very busy offseason. A possible free agent target for L.A. is Golden State Warriors four-time champion Klay Thompson, who has been unable to sign an extension up to this point and is likely to test the market.
The last few years have been rough for Thompson after suffering two significant injuries, tearing his Achilles and ACL, which since has impacted his ability to be the premiere 3-and-D player that made him a future Hall of Famer. However, there will still be teams trying to sign the sharpshooter to pry him from the Warriors.
Someone who wants to see Thompson wear the purple and gold is popular rapper and passionate Lakers fan Snoop Dogg, via The Stephen A. Smith Show:
“I’m hopeful that we can get us a Klay Thompson. His dad is Mychal, he works for the Lakers, it’s an easy transit down the road.”
There is an interesting connection as Klay’s father Mychal Thompson spent the latter stages of his career with the Lakers and is now a radio commentator for 710 AM ESPN LA. Snoop brings up another good point that Golden State is not utilizing Thompson as they once did and may not be a fit anymore:
“I mean, he doesn’t fit with them anymore. They’re trying to minimize him. He needs to be on a team where he is wide open, and we love getting him that look. Right now, he’s fighting to get the ball. And that’s not what he does.”
A constant need for L.A. is shooters to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and Thompson would certainly fit that mold.
He is expected to demand a decent chunk of change in free agency though and could have a number of suitors, making the Lakers an unlikely landing spot. If the Lakers want to have any chance of stealing him, they need to clear enough space for the mid-level exception, which results in a D’Angelo Russell departure, and still may not even be enough.
Team with cap space like the Orlando Magic have already been connected to Thompson, so he should have a market if he seriously considers leaving the Warriors. The Magic are a rising Eastern Conference team that needs some more offense around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and Thompson could bring that as well as veteran leadership.
Klay Thompson: playoff series against Lakers still ‘stings bad’
The Lakers and Warriors have shared some great battles through the past couple of seasons, with one being last year in the second round of the postseason. This resulted in the Lakers taking down the then defending champions in six games and Klay Thompson admitted this past season that losing that series still ‘stings bad.’
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