With his departure from Golden State confirmed, Klay Thompson is now one of the most sought-after players in free agency. The fight now seems to be tightening around two franchises to welcome him, the outgoing finalist Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers. Already active from the first hours of the opening of the offseason, the Mavericks have reportedly made Thompson their new priority, particularly following the departure of Derrick Jones Jr to the Clippers.
According to Marc Stein, the Mavs are still “ focused on securing a commitment from Klay Thompson and completing a sign-and-trade‘”. The Warriors would receive in exchange the trade exception that the Texas franchise recovered in the exchange of Tim Hardaway Jr to Detroit a few days earlier. Stein specifies that this possible exchange would not take place in reaction to the departure of Derrick Jones Jr, and that Dallas leaders were working to kill two birds with one stone to increase the density of their workforce. It is ultimately Naji Marshall who will numerically occupy Jones Jr’s place, after having signed up for the evening.
Another prime suitor for Klay Thompson, the Lakers are moving forward with LeBron James as a marketing asset. While he is – technically – no longer committed to the Angelinos, ESPN reports that the leading scorer in history called Thompson in person to try to convince him. This, while James had explained not to get involved in the decisions of the Lakers front office, at the time of the search for a new coach.
His future destination should in any case reassure Thompson about his future. ESPN added on Sunday that the guard felt disrespected by the Warriors in the summer of 2023, when the Warriors had decided not to extend him at that time and to play for more time.
