The Los Angeles Lakers' empire continues to crumble before the basketball world's eyes. After drafting LeBron James' son and hiring his podcast co-host as a first-time head coach, the team has struck out so far in this free agency period.
The Lakers pulled out all the stops to land Klay Thompson, but they still couldn't get a deal done, via Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.
“I was told the Lakers made a pretty compelling offer,” Haynes said. “It was around a three, four-year mark, somewhere along the lines of $20 million per [year], and they didn't get their guy. It was gonna take obviously a sign-and-trade scenario, so that had nothing to do with LeBron James' decision to take less.”
James informed Los Angeles when he opted out of his deal that he would take a pay cut to help the team bring in another star. In this case, though, Thompson would've been traded to the team on a brand-new contract, which made the attention shift to the Lakers' assets rather than cap space.
“I was told that it would have likely involved D'Angelo Russell being a part of a deal to get Klay,” Haynes continued. “From what I was told, the Warriors weren't interested in bringing back D'Angelo Russell. Remember, D'Angelo had that one-year stint with them a few years ago. So, that just wasn't feasible for the Warriors. Right now, the Lakers are still trying to identify who that player is going to be. They are seeking a star-caliber player. Whether that is via LeBron James sacrificing money and taking the full mid-level [exception], or a sign-and-trade scenario.”
Russell would have been a decent option for the Golden State, as he had similar numbers to Thompson last season, while also being six years younger. The former Warrior averaged 18 points on 45.6% shooting with 3.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists across 32.7 minutes per game. Regardless, Golden State wasn't interested in a reunion, rendering Los Angeles' offer useless in its eyes.
Where will the Lakers turn now?
The Lakers will have to pull off an unlikely trade to keep LeBron happy
So far, Los Angeles has only re-signed a bench piece, which is not the headlining move that James had in mind.
“As of right now, the Lakers haven't done much,” Haynes said. “They re-signed Max Christie. Aside from that, they're still waiting. They're waiting for that big fish. When the Lakers make moves, they tend to make big moves. So far, they struck out on Klay Thompson.”
With Thompson heading to Dallas, James Harden staying in Los Angeles, and Jonas Valancunias going to the nation's capital, James' wishlist hasn't come to fruition. However, there are a couple of other upper-echelon talents the Lakers could feasibly trade for.
The Bulls' DeMar DeRozan and the Hawks' Trae Young are both names that have been swirling in trade rumors. Either player would give the team a fighting chance next season, but the issue is the team's lack of viable trade assets.
In addition to giving up at least one of Russell, Austin Reaves, or Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles would probably have to give up the rest of its dwindling draft capital. Mortgaging the future is never ideal, but with James turning 40 in December, the clock is ticking on any semblance of a championship window it'll have for the foreseeable future.
While James is unlikely to abandon his son Bronny and head coach J.J. Redick in the City of Angels, there's a reason he opted out.
Follow Us
Subscribe