The Los Angeles Lakers are widely expected to pursue Klay Thompson in 2019, and the Golden State Warriors shooter's dad, Mychal Thompson, believes his son will be a better fit next to LeBron James than Kawhi Leonard.

Thompson is under contract through the 2018-19 season and will become an unrestricted free agent in
the summer of 2019. Mychal was recently a guest on the “Mason and Ireland” podcast and said Klay wouldn't have a problem playing second fiddle to James because he has been doing it in Golden State for the past few seasons.

“You are talking about guys for whom pecking order becomes really important,” Mychal said. “The
perception of how people are going to look at you is important for these guys. If Klay came to L.A., which he should, then he knows he is going to slot in behind LeBron. But it is fine because he has done it before [for the Warriors], it is not a big deal.”

“Kawhi is a top-five guy who is a Finals MVP. I know what the pitch is ‘you come here, you win another title and in two or three years LeBron is going to be 35 years old and you will transition and become the guy.' But that doesn’t mean Kawhi wants to go through that. But on the other hand, he might love the idea of being in LeBron’s shadow. He doesn’t have to do anything,” he said.

Thompson will make $18.9 million this season and has consistently said he wants to retire with the
Warriors. Golden State has won back-to-back championships and three of the last four Finals.
Thompson, 28, has career averages of 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 45.8
percent from the field and 42.2 percent from three in 537 games.

Thompson is arguably one of the best shooters in NBA history — such trait players often need when playing next to James because he’s a great passer and collapses the paint on his drives to the basket. Thompson can also guard multiple positions effectively and doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be a threat. He does most of his damage on catch-and-shoot shots and is an excellent off-ball player.

That being said, Thompson is likely going to re-sign with the Warriors. Golden State general manager
Bob Myers said in July that he’s confident the franchise will be able to afford a roster and luxury tax bill that hits $300 million in the 2019-20 season. The Warriors will open their new arena in San Francisco that season, which will surely bring in more revenue to the organization.

At the Thompson Family Foundation Golf Tournament in August, Thompson said he wants to be a
Warrior for life.

“I’ve said it many times before: I would like to be a Warrior for life,” Thompson told the Bay Area News Group. “Contract negotiations are way down the line. But I think we all have the same interest. I would love to be here for the rest of my career.”

Of course, things can always change quickly in the NBA and the Lakers will have plenty of money to
offer Thompson. But at this point, Laker fans shouldn’t be getting their hopes up about adding Thompson to the roster.