While the Los Angeles Lakers are focused in their pursuit of completing an Anthony Davis trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, they are simultaneously attempting to preserve salary cap space for 2019 free agency.
The approach is one the Lakers have held for quite some time, particularly with the signing of LeBron James last summer. Days before that became a reality, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson emphasized the team was approaching matters under a two-year scope.
His words of caution proved beneficial as Paul George spurned the Lakers in favor of re-signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors.
The focus shifted to this summer, when the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson are eligible to become free agents.
When the Lakers played the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, their fans at Oracle Arena let Thompson know they’d like to see him defect to Southern California, via ESPN:
Lakers fans really chanted "We want Thompson" in Oracle ????
pic.twitter.com/dh8j4aYxWP
— ESPN (@espn) February 3, 2019
Thompson scored 23 points through the first two quarters before the Lakers could put the clamps on him and limit the sharpshooter to just five points in the second half.
Thompson has long been considered a lean to re-sign with the Warriors, but if they aren’t to offer him a max contract and the Lakers complete a trade for Davis, it could lead to the 28-year-old joining Los Angeles.
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