Recent Lakers rumors have been about the franchise being very interested in signing Klay Thompson next summer.
Even though the summer of 2019 is a long ways away, there are going to be plenty of Lakers rumors about what they might do. After freeing up enough cap space to give another max contract next offseason, the Lakers are going to be a favored to land a star once again next offseason.
This offseason, the Lakers were able to get LeBron James to sign despite not having a superstar in place. Next offseason, with LeBron committed already, getting another star to sign should be relatively easy.
The class of 2019 is shaping up to be a good one, and there are some potential players that make a lot of sense for the Lakers. Recently, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN spoke on ESPN LA about Klay Thompson. Here’s what she had to say with text via Anthony Irwin of SilverScreenAndRoll.com.
"“In terms of who they target next year, it’s whoever wants to come. “My feeling about it, my sense from just talking to people in and around this (is that) one, it’s a little early, but I think they like Mychal’s boy. I think that would be the guy, in terms of skillset and how that would fit. Obviously Kawhi, he’s a great player as well, but we’ll see if he stays in Toronto now. But I think they like Klay (Thompson).”"
As Shelburne mentions, there are certainly some factors off the court that could help push Klay towards Los Angeles. With his father being the radio color commentator for the Lakers and his familiarity with Luke Walton, making the switch to Los Angeles wouldn’t be too much of a shock for him.
For the Lakers, there is a lot to like about Thompson’s game. He is a proven two-way player with three championships and has the ability to fit nicely with pretty much any player on paper. While we have heard a lot about Kawhi Leonard being the top priority, Thompson is an intriguing option for the Lakers.
If Thompson does leave the Warriors next summer, it would certainly be a big blow to their team. With the Warriors being the top dog in the Western Conference still, Thompson leaving and coming to the Lakers would be a big swing in momentum for the Lakers.