Klay Thompson ’s fallout with the Golden State Warriors became the talk of the town earlier this season. After spending 13 years with the franchise, Thompson left the Dubs and signed a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
Although Thompson is no longer in the prime of his career, many teams apart from the Mavericks were interested in his services. Among them were the 17-time NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Many saw the five-time NBA All-Star’s potential move to the Purple and Gold as logical, as Klay’s father, Mychal Thompson, was a former Lakers player.
The Lakers were ready to overpay Klay
Despite being one of the biggest teams in the NBA, the Lakers have had a forgettable offseason. They haven’t added any player to the roster through trades or free-agent signings. Evidently, the organization must have been desperate to make an addition when Thompson was available on the market.
So much so that the Lakers reportedly tried to overpay the four-time NBA champion. Andy Kamenetzky made this revelation during a recent episode of the Locked on Lakers podcast via YouTube.
“I know the Lakers attempted to really overpay Klay Thompson pretty badly, it just didn't work out,” Kamentzky said .
Thompson is 34 years old, and his best days are certainly behind him. But the former Warriors guard can still be an effective catch-and-shoot player. Keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that the Lakers were keen on signing Klay.
It was reported that the Lakers were offering to give Klay a four-year, $80 million deal. The contract was more than what Thompson ultimately ended up signing with the Mavericks. However, at the end of the day, the former Warriors star was reportedly looking for a fresh start . Considering that, the bright lights of Los Angeles would have brought a lot of pressure on the Splash Bro.
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Thompson’s father was disappointed with the Dallas decision
When an opportunity to play for the Purple and Gold comes knocking, most NBA players will accept it. Mychal, being a former member of the Showtime Lakers, wanted his son to finish his career in L.A.
In fact, he was disappointed when Klay chose the Mavericks over the Lakers for the final stage of his career.
“ I'm really disappointed," the retired center said . "I was hoping — hoping, as you can assess — that he would be a Laker. It was close. It came down to the Lakers and Mavs, but the Mavs won out, but you know me, I was hoping and praying that he'd finish his career with the Lakers.”
The Mavericks also have the dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They helped the team reach the 2024 NBA Finals. Now, with the addition of Thompson to the roster, the fanbase will expect to lift the illustrious Larry O’Brien trophy sooner rather than later.
Klay averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for the Warriors in his final season, and fans should expect similar numbers from him as he will be the third scoring option behind Luka and Kai on most nights.
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