Lakers Among Betting Favorites to Lure 5-Time All-Star With LA Ties

Hard to believe, but in the order of importance for this Warriors offseason, retaining future Hall of Famer and franchise stalwart Klay Thompson is fairly low on the to-do list. For the Lakers that is, perhaps, an opportunity.

The Warriors need to keep an eye on the luxury tax, something they want to badly avoid and dodge the heavy penalties for being a repeat offender. They also need to monitor the market for an Andrew Wiggins trade, their best chance to improve the roster dramatically this summer.

While that is happening, it’s possible for another team to slip in and swipe away Thompson, who has been with the Warriors for 12 seasons but enters free agency for the first time since 2019. Thompson had the opportunity to re-up with the Warriors on a $48 million extension last year, but turned it down.

It was a mistake. After a rough season, he is not likely to get that much this summer. Still, if he is determined to leave Golden State, even if it means giving up money, the Lakers will be one of the teams looking to move on Thompson stealthily, offering a deal starting at the mid-level exception.

It would mark a pay cut, of course, but it would allow Thompson to reboot his career playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and for the franchise

At DraftKings sportsbook, in fact, the Lakers are listed as the No. 2 suitor for Thompson, behind the Magic (plus-300) and tied with the Sixers at 16-to-1 odds of signing him.

Klay Thompson Among All-Time Great 3-Point Shooters

Thompson has a sterling resume, of course. He has made 2,481 3-pointers in his career, No. 6 on the all-time list, and has done so making 41.3% from the arc. He made 301 3-pointers in 2022-23, one of only three players in league history to hit that mark.

Alas, his last memory of his mostly disappointing 2023-24 season will go down as a bitter one. He scored zero points on 0-for-10 shooting, was a minus-12 in the box score and missed all six of his 3-point attempts. The Warriors got drubbed by the Kings, 118-94, in the second play-in game in the Western Conference, ending Golden State’s season.

Thompson wrapped up the 2023-24 season with 17.9 points per game on 43.2% shooting and 38.7% 3-point shooting. It was a wildly inconsistent season, though Thompson had appeared to be heading to a strong finish. After a bench stint, he returned to the starting lineup for the final 10 games and averaged 21.8 points on 49.1% shooting and 41.6% 3-point shooting.

Considering the Lakers’ need for perimeter shooting, gambling on Thompson putting 2023-24 behind him and having a more consistent year ahead is probably worthwhile, especially if Thompson could be tempted to sign a $13 million midlevel contract in L.A. He did grow up in Los Angeles, and his father, Mychal Thompson, finished his career as a Lakers reserve in the early 1990s.

Lakers Would Need Other Teams to Back Out

The question is, what else will Thompson find out on the market that would top the lure of the Lakers?

The Magic have an advantage if they truly want to lure Thompson to their up-and-coming young team, because they have a full slate of cap space and could give Thompson the $24 million per year he passed on from the Warriors.

The Sixers are another possibility, a team with cap space and the potential to contend.

Both Orlando and Philadelphia are unlikely to have Thompson as their No. 1 target, though. The Sixers are prioritizing bigger, more complete stars like Paul George this summer, and Thompson would be lower down on their list. Meanwhile, the Magic are a young team that might shy away from a commitment to Thompson, who is 34.

A return to the Warriors on a middling contract—maybe $18-20 million per year—is the most likely outcome for Thompson. But if Golden State drags its feet and teams like Philadelphia and Orlando find other targets, the door could be open for Thompson to the Lakers.