The Los Angeles Lakers could land Klay Thompson this offseason when looking at trade targets with minimal value right now. Thompson is one of the most respected veterans in the league for his incredible run winning four NBA Championships for the Golden State Warriors. However, the Dallas Mavericks have little reason to keep him after the team got a lot younger over the past year.
Sports Illustrated pitched a realistic trade package for the Lakers to land Thompson without giving up any assets:
“Dallas Mavericks Receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Klay Thompson
This trade would pair him back up with Doncic. They need more shooting around Doncic and Austin Reaves (if they bring him back), and they just need more playable guys. Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht were not playable under JJ Redick.”
Both Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht are expendable pieces who struggled to get playing time under head coach JJ Redick this past season. The Lakers would like to lose both players in the hopes of getting a rotation player. Thompson’s three-point shooting ability and veteran experience as a winner makes him the perfect secondary trade piece to acquire under the radar.
How Klay Thompson Improves The Lakers
The Lakers still hope to retain both LeBron James and Austin Reaves in free agency as the two most important goals. Improved depth for an ideal team built around Luka Doncic is the next goal for the Lakers to increase their NBA Championship hopes entering next season.
Thompson has a strong relationship with Luka and signed with the Mavericks a few years ago to team with him. Dallas shockingly trading Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis and Max Christie ended Thompson’s chances of contending for a title with that roster shortly into his tenure.
The Lakers would likely use Thompson off the bench, but he’d be perfectly suited for a lineup with names like Luka and LeBron getting him open three point looks. Klay’s father Mychal Thompon playing many seasons for the Lakers also creates a nice storybook moment for him to join that franchise in such a trade.
Why Dallas Mavericks Would Accept This Deal
The biggest question about this trade proposal would revolve around Dallas accepting a trade package of two names the Lakers already want to trade. Knecht is still a relatively young name who can improve if he was given a more consistent role in an offense.
Vanderbilt is a solid bench player to warrant taking the chance on adding him to the roster. The Mavericks saw Thompson becoming a less important part of the roster now that they are younger and building a new timeline around rookie sensation Cooper Flagg.
Dealing Klay also seems like the right thing to do since they signed the veteran during a time when the roster was coming off an NBA Finals appearance. Multiple trades to weaken the roster shows they are not looking to contend next season, so it only makes sense to trade Thompson to a team with better title hopes.
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