Lakers completely botched Klay Thompson pursuit with absurd misstep
By Curt Bishop
Earlier this month, Klay Thompson officially departed the Golden State Warriors and headed to the Dallas Mavericks. He signed a three-year, $50 million deal to join Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas. Thompson played in 77 games with the Warriors last season and averaged 17.9 points per game while shooting 43.2 percent from field goal range and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The Los Angeles Lakers were another team that had shown interest in the veteran swingman and elite shooter. In fact, they even gave him a contract offer. However, they made a crucial mistake, not guaranteeing him a starting role.
Sources: Gary Trent Jr. signed in Milwaukee in large part because they promised a starting gig. Lakers didn't want to promise a starting gig to Klay Thompson and didn't offer it to GTJ. More here in The Lounge: https://t.co/aimPbYHOPF
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) July 17, 2024
This is a major mistake made by the Lakers. While Thompson didn't start every game with the Warriors last season, he would have still fit perfectly for the Lakers as one of the key building blocks. But the Lakers didn't guarantee him the starting spot.
Lakers stubborn nature got in way of signing Klay Thompson
The team could have easily done this, even with D'Angelo Russell, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves in the lineup. Davis or LeBron could have been moved to the center position while Reaves remained at the shooting guard spot. This would have left open a spot at the small forward position for Thompson to claim and run with.
Instead, the Lakers botched this and chose not to guarantee him a starting spot. This is ultimately what led him to choose Dallas over Los Angeles. And to be fair, Dallas just made a run to the NBA Finals, while the Lakers were knocked out in the first round by the Denver Nuggets.
But Los Angeles would have had a much better chance to sign the three-point specialist had they just been willing the guarantee him the role of a starter next season. The Lakers roster would look considerably better if they had him in their lineup.
Thompson was selected with the 11th-overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Warriors. He has dealt with his fair share of injuries over the years. He missed the 2019-20 season with a knee injury and was out the next season with an achilles issue.
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