The Klay Thompson summer sweepstakes ended before they had a chance to begin. Almost as soon as news emerged that Thompson had reached a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN's Shams Charania swooped in with intel that the Miami Heat were expected to sign Thompson. It looks like the ex-Splash Brother will be joining Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Erik Spoelstra, and Co. for the 2026-27 season.
What does this mean for the Los Angeles Lakers? LA was linked to Thompson at times this summer, especially with his father (a former Laker) pushing for the union.
Now, the Lakers have "missed out" on Klay, and I'm putting that in parentheses because this is actually a good outcome for LA.
Yes, I repeat, it is a blessing that the Lakers didn't end up acquiring Klay Thompson.
Lakers should be thankful that Klay Thompson landed elsewhere
Let's get something out of the way first: Thompson isn't completely useless as an NBA player. The man shot 38.3% from 3 last season for the Mavs, averaging 19.5 points per 36 minutes. He hasn't lost his stroke at all.
But while Thompson's catch-and-shoot capabilities would fit quite well alongside Luka Doncic in LA, virtually every other aspect of Thompson's game at age 36 would fit terribly alongside Doncic.
The Western Conference in 2026 is defined by youth, speed, athleticism, and defensive versatility (just look at the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs). Thompson no longer has any of those attributes. In a playoff series against OKC or San Antonio, he'd be targeted on every possession, and the Lakers already have plenty of defensive problems in their rotation between Doncic and Austin Reaves. Adding another perimeter liability in Thompson would've been foolish.
The Lakers' front office prioritized athleticism on the perimeter this offseason as they re-tooled around Doncic. Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton were two explosive additions in that regard. The Lakers are hoping they can switch and recover with the best of the West, and Klay would've only slowed down that entire operation.
Klay Thompson was never a good fit with the Lakers
To put it bluntly, Klay can't move anymore. If there's a coach in the NBA who can still use him effectively and hide his flaws, it's Spo -- so good luck to the Heat. But this isn't a project that JJ Redick and the Lakers needed to take on.
Miami plays in the East, after all. While the gap of quality between the two conferences isn't as wide as it used to be, there's no doubt that mobility and wing athleticism are still more important in the Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers will be much better off without Klay Thompson than they would have been with him, and that'll become even more obvious in May.
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