Remember two summers ago, when Klay Thompson chose the Mavericks over the Los Angeles Lakers? He thought Dallas would give him the best chance at winning a fifth championship, but it's LA that has come closer to doing so since then. As speculation swirls about what the future holds for the 36-year-old, the purple and gold have resurfaced, at least on his end.
As Christian Clark of The Athletic wrote on Monday, the guard is open to playing in Los Angeles (subscription required).
My understanding is that Thompson would welcome a return to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still owns a home.
Thompson is under contract for one more season in Dallas, but as Clark said, the Mavericks have been exploring his trade market. He could still be in Texas come October, but it sounds like if he had it his way, he'd be in Los Angeles, or maybe even Miami, a team Clark listed as a "potential landing spot" for the guard.
Thompson's ship to join Lakers may have already sailed
Over a month has passed since LeBron James informed Los Angeles he wouldn't be returning. The Lakers went right to work, now having 16 players on guaranteed contracts, a number they'll have to reduce by one before next season. Jonathan Kuminga is still available, and he could be LA's next move in a sign-and-trade.
Thompson certainly isn't the priority he was two years ago. Sure, there is reason to believe he'd truly welcome what would be an easy move to the Lakers. He'd get to be on the same team as Luka Dončić again after spending only a few months with him in Dallas. And perhaps, most importantly to him, he'd have a better shot at competing for a title in purple and gold than if he stayed with the Mavericks.
Well, here's the thing. Thompson will make $17.5 million next season, a number that, in all likelihood, his on-court performance won't live up to.
He did lead the Mavericks in made three-pointers last season at 2.9 (on 7.6 attempts per game), but that's not saying a whole lot, considering Dallas was second-to-last in made threes per game (11) in the league last season.
Los Angeles could always use more shooting, though it did add Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, and Sandro Mamukelashvili this offseason. Don't forget about Jake LaRavia, either, though you might want to after he shot a career-low 32.1 percent from deep last season.
You could certainly talk yourself into adding Thompson into the mix, coming off the bench for the Lakers, though not at his price tag for next season. Still, Los Angeles could look to land him if it meant getting off Jarred Vanderbilt's contract in the process. If that could work, LA could spin it into a win.
Thompson may still be on the Lakers' radar, but we do know that he doesn't garner the kind of attention he used to. It could be to the point where his openness doesn't move the team to find a way to get him in LA, and if that's the case, you can't blame them. Now, if the Mavericks buy out his contract, that's another conversation.
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