Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers Did Not Want To Draft Klay Thompson

By Bryan Rose

November 1, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11, center) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Carlos Boozer (5) and forward Wesley Johnson (11, right) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 127-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 1, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11, center) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Carlos Boozer (5) and forward Wesley Johnson (11, right) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 127-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Klay Thompson wanted the Los Angeles Lakers to draft him in 2010 but they declined so he returned to school.

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Earlier this past offseason it was said the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in trading for Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who was also the alleged target of the Minnesota Timberwolves in a would-be Kevin Love deal.

That trade never manifested nor did any deal with the Los Angeles Lakers who had very little to offer in exchange for Thompson.

The former Michigan State product eventually signed a contract extension with the Warriors and will now be in the Bay Area for the considerable future. Things could have been very different, both for he and the Los Angeles Lakers however had the team agreed to give him a promise in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Los Angeles did not have a first-round pick that season as their #28 selection was awarded to the Memphis Grizzlies, however Klay Thompson reportedly informed the Lakers he would come out of college early had they promised to draft him.

That’s the word from Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears who noted such in his weekly Power Ranking column.

"Klay Thompson would’ve entered the draft a year earlier if the Lakers had agreed to take him in the first round, a source said. The Lakers declined."

It’s hard to tell where Thompson would have landed had he actually entered the 2010 draft though it’s very likely he would have fallen into the 20’s given he wasn’t selected until No. 11 in the 2011 NBA Draft.

In fairness to the Los Angeles Lakers, they didn’t have a pick at their disposal so they would have had to go out and trade for one, though end of first round selections are always readily available for a couple million dollars.

No denying there was an opportunity missed for the Lakers but one the Golden State Warriors are more than thrilled with.

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