By Mathieu S. | NBA Editor
Klay Thompson is the latest recruit of the Dallas Mavericks, he who preferred to join the Texan franchise rather than the Lakers. The latter nevertheless tried an offensive, but the Warriors would not listen.
It’s now official: Klay Thompson is no longer a Warriors player. He’s joining the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade for three seasons. He took a good day to choose between the Texas franchise and the Lakers, and as is often the case, it was the Angelinos who lost.
The sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson to the Mavericks is official. The Mavs receive Klay Thompson. The Warriors receive a trade exception + two second-round draft picks. The Hornets receive Josh Green.
Warriors turn down Lakers offer
To facilitate the process and make his arrival possible, Dallas had to do a sign-and-trade to offer Thompson a higher salary. The Lakers had the same plan, to the point where the franchise wanted to send D’Angelo Russell in return to attract interest from Golden State. Except they weren’t interested.
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The Lakers offered Klay Thompson $20 million a season to sign with them, and offered the Warriors D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade. The Warriors still declined.
The Warriors could have accepted and lost DLo, with Thompson having the final say, but that speaks volumes about the player’s value on the market right now. Russell is seen as more of a liability than an asset, and that’s not good news for the Angelinos.
Despite a nice offer for Klay Thompson and the Warriors, the Lakers failed to close the deal. A failure for the franchise, which will quickly have to bounce back to avoid upsetting LeBron James and company.
