The Los Angeles Lakers are about to embark on one of the most important few weeks of the season. With the new head coach JJ Redick hiring official, the Lakers are now tasked with re-signing LeBron James and building a contender around James and Anthony Davis using what could be very limited cap space. One way the Lakers may try to do that is by luring Stephen Curry's longtime running mate Klay Thompson to L.A., if only the Dallas Mavericks weren't also reportedly involved.
While the Lakers were bounced from the NBA playoffs in the first round by the Denver Nuggets, the Mavericks found their groove and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals, where they were dispatched of by the Boston Celtics. But both the Lakers and Mavericks are now reportedly after the same player, Thompson, who appears destined to part ways with the Warriors after 13 years.
The question is, though, which team will get him? According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, who has reported on many Mavericks stories in the past, the Lakers view the Mavericks as the frontrunners in the race for Thompson.
“What really changed Saturday is that the Warriors ultimately struck out on [Paul] George and now the Lakers, by virtue of LeBron James' reported willingness to take a paycut if one of the “right targets” (as described by my podcast partner Chris Haynes of Turner Sports) consents to take L.A.’s $13 million midlevel exception, have joined Dallas in the race to secure Thompson's commitment in free agency,” Stein wrote on his Substack.
“Barring an 11th-hour resuscitation of Thompson’s relationship with the Warriors that no one close to the process was willing to predict Saturday night, those are projected to be the two teams at the forefront of Thompson’s thinking … with even some in Lakerland said to regard Dallas as the team to beat.”
Stein also reported that while Mychal Thompson, Klay's father, calls games for the Lakers on the radio, “there will be strong mutual interest between Thompson and the Mavericks.”
Will Klay Thompson sign with the Lakers or Mavericks?
The Los Angeles Lakers are always looking for shooters. Although LeBron James had the best three-point-shooting season of his long and illustrious career, the Lakers could use more shooting to surround James and Davis, the latter of whose perimeter shooting has all but disappeared over the past few seasons. Fortunately, Klay Thompson is one of the greatest shooters of all time. Even with Thompson having one of the worst seasons of his career, Thompson still shot 38.7% from three on nine attempts per game.
The Lakers are pretty limited to what they could offer Thompson, even if James does take less and free up the mid-level exception. And that's where the Mavericks come in, according to Marc Stein.
“The precise pathway that could land Thompson in Dallas is not yet clear, but it's believed that the Mavericks will be able to make a competitive three-year offer thanks to the looming financial flexibility created once their agreed-upon trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to Detroit becomes official,” Stein wrote on his Substack. “What is clear: The Mavericks are undeniably prepared to make signing Thompson their offseason priority — even ahead of re-signing Derrick Jones Jr. — and will offer the four-time champion a prominent role in their offense as their prime perimeter marksman alongside the backcourt duo of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.”
If the Mavericks do sign Thompson but do not come to an agreement with Jones Jr., DJJ could become an option for the Lakers. Jones Jr. averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and proved to be a valuable, rangy piece of the Dallas rotation.
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