Lakers Rumors: LeBron, Klay Had 'Deep' Talks in FA; Star's Logic for LA Snub Revealed
July 3, 2024
Before Klay Thompson decided to join the Dallas Mavericks in free agency, LeBron James attempted to recruit the five-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews, James and Thompson had "several deep conversations" about potentially playing together.
Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavs in a three-team sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Lakers were expected to be one of Thompson's strongest suitors when he decided not to return to the Warriors. He reportedly could have gotten a bigger offer from Los Angeles before accepting the deal from Dallas.
Per Chris Haynes of Turner Sports, the Lakers were willing to pay Thompson $20 million per season on a multiyear contract, but the Warriors rejected the sign-and-trade proposal that would have given them D'Angelo Russell.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportLakers offered Klay Thompson '$20M per [year]' and proposed D'Angelo Russell to Warriors in sign-and-trade deal.<br><br>The Warriors declined, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisBHaynes</a> <a href="https://t.co/HcfK0PxoM0">pic.twitter.com/HcfK0PxoM0</a>
There were also factors that Thompson gave consideration to before making his decision. ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted he felt the Mavs were closer to winning a title than the Lakers and have more organizational stability.
Get Up @GetUpESPN"[The Lakers are] not comparable to where the Mavericks are from competing for championships."<a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@windhorstESPN</a> says Dallas made the most sense for Klay Thompson to chase a chip 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/KkrcyKqHph">pic.twitter.com/KkrcyKqHph</a>
The Mavericks are coming off a run to the NBA Finals with a roster that features two of the best players in the league in Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Thompson will add another dimension to the offense after averaging 17.9 points on 38.7 percent three-point shooting last season.
While it's still early in the offseason, the Lakers are in danger of coming up empty-handed in their quest to significantly improve their roster.
After James agreed to a two-year, $104 million deal to remain in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the Lakers are $1.1 million over the second apron with 15 players under contract.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported James' agent, Rich Paul, and the Lakers are still in discussions about potentially trimming some money off James' contract to get the team under the second apron and give them some roster-building flexibility.
Whatever the result ends up being, James' efforts to help the Lakers add an impact player like Thompson landed with a thud. The top remaining free agents include DeMar DeRozan, Miles Bridges, Tyus Jones and Caleb Martin.