All-time Golden State Warriors great Klay Thompson is expected to play for a new team next season. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Warriors and Thompson will begin to work through sign-and-trade options. The Los Angeles Lakers are a team he plans to have discussions with, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweeted on June 30.
Thompson’s father played for the Lakers, and he’s a Los Angeles native, which adds more intrigue to a potential deal.
According to Brian Windhorst, on an appearance of “95.7 The Game,” the Lakers are trying to get a deal done for the sharpshooter.
“Klay would be a perfect fit for the Lakers, and the Lakers are trying to get it done, and they may get it done,” Windhorst said on July 1.
Warriors Want to Help Klay in a Sign-And-Trade
With Thompson spending his entire career with the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him with the 11th pick in the 2011 NBA draft, they could help him out with a sign-and-trade.
According to Wojnarowski on an episode of “SportsCenter,” the Warriors want to do just that.
“The Warriors want to help him in a sign-and-trade situation, perhaps to the teams who don’t have the cap space for him, to be able to get a bigger contract,” Wojnarowski said on June 30. “And if the Warriors can get back some assets in that, they’ll be more than happy.
“They’re going to be on the phones, trying to help Klay Thompson do that.”
The Los Angeles Lakers would have to move assets if that was the case, but it could be as simple as salary fillers going to the Warriors.
Wojnarowski also said that LeBron James reached out to Thompson when free agency opened, a promising sign for the Lakers as they look to land the five-time All-Star.
“I’m told LeBron James called Klay Thompson right when free agency opened…These conversations, this negotiation will go into tomorrow. There probably will not be a resolution tonight.”
Thompson Would Be an Ideal Fit for the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers had the fewest 3-point attempts per game at 31.0 last season. Despite finishing top-10 in 3-point percentage, the Lakers finished in the bottom half of the league in terms of 3-pointers made per game at 11.7.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, new Lakers head coach JJ Redick acknowledged in his introductory news conference that the team needs to shoot more 3-pointers next season.
“He immediately pointed out multiple areas where he wants the Lakers to be better next season: offensive rebounding, 3-point attempts, turnovers and defensive schematics. It was both an acknowledgment of the shortcomings of the previous staff and also a sign of Redick’s maniacal attention to detail and thirst to problem-solve,” Buha wrote on June 25.
Thompson shot 38.7% from 3-point range on 9.0 attempts per game a year ago. In the past three seasons, he’s attempted at least 9.0 per game, including two seasons where he shot at least 42.9%.
Having Thompson on the floor with James and Anthony Davis would add a new dynamic to a Lakers offense that desperately needs to take more shots from behind the arc.
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