Klay Thompson's father, Mychal Thompson, isn't shy about advertising his desire for Klay to play with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2026-27. It makes sense -- the elder Thompson won two championships with the Lakers in the 1980s. Purple and gold runs through his veins.
Mychal Thompson took to Twitter/X in recent days and personally engaged with a report that Klay would welcome a union with the Lakers. In response to a fan calling out Mychal and asking him to get involved with the process and get Klay to the Lakers, Mychal responded, "I’m TRYING…"
Would Klay Thompson help the Lakers?
There's no doubt that Thompson is well past his prime. His athleticism has declined in recent years, and a decline in his once-stout defense has followed. Thompson is far from the elite, two-way monster that he once was. He's a bench player now, and a decent one at that. Last season for the Dallas Mavericks, Thompson appeared in 69 games, averaging 11.7 points in 21.7 minutes on a very solid 38.3 percent from 3.
But with Thompson having a $17.5 million attached to him for the 2026-27 season, the Lakers almost certainly aren't interested in the above production at that cost. If Thompson were in a veteran minimum situation, things would be way different.
The time isn't now for a Klay Thompson-Lakers union
Thompson may have already missed his opportunity to join the Lakers. On the other hand, it could come next offseason, when Thompson will be a free agent again and could sign a vet min. deal with Los Angeles. As for now, the only possibility that would land Klay in LA is a buyout from the Mavs, but Dallas hasn't shown any interest in such a move.
It's a shame that the timeline, salary, and circumstances didn't line up for Thompson to play for the Lakers this year. He would be a really nice fit, especially since he isn't completely washed yet and can absolutely still knock down open 3s, shots he'd get plenty of while playing alongside Luka Doncic.
But there are just way too many hurdles preventing a Klay-LA reality in 2026-27. I haven't even mentioned yet that the Lakers currently have 16 players on standard contracts. They're looking to shed players right now, not add them, and it doesn't feel like the Mavericks would be interested in taking on any of LA's discarded players in exchange for Klay (even if the Lakers were able to digest that big salary figure, which they're not).
Mychal Thompson can push for a Lakers deal for his son all he wants, but he can't change the above details that will surely prevent this from happening until next offseason, if at all.
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