It’s possible that the Los Angeles Lakers overlooked something in their pursuit of Klay Thompson.
Surprisingly enough, Klay Thompson became one of the more well-known players to explore the free agency market this summer. Following the inevitable realization that Klay would be leaving the Golden State Warriors in free agency, a number of competitors bided their time to meet with the shooting guard who was always considered an all-star. But in the end, Klay had to choose between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks for his free agency.
Many in the league were confused by Klay’s decision to sign with the Mavs rather than the Lakers. Many quickly assumed that Klay preferred to play with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But apparently there was a lot more to that.
It was recently discovered that Los Angeles’ refusal to guarantee Klay a starting position was a major factor in his decision to join with the Mavs rather than the Lakers. It was obvious that Dallas would do it for Klay. How much will the Lakers ultimately regret this possible mistake is the question.
Considering the Lakers haven’t been able to make any tangible additions to their roster so far this offseason, aside from their two selections in the 2024 NBA Draft, it’s easy to see why there could be some regret already building for Los Angeles.
However, I don’t think we can completely say that until we see how the rest of the offseason plays out for the Lakers. If the regular season begins and the Lakers sputter to start the season, at that point is when we can truly begin to say the Lakers may have whiffed big time in their pursuit of Klay.
It’s strange that Los Angeles wasn’t willing to start him at the beginning of the season, especially with the Lakers’ shallow backcourt. However, it’s possible that the Lakers are planning something more significant than we are aware of.
In any case, it will be intriguing to watch how Klay performs in the Mavs’ next chapter of his career. We’ll be able to determine how seriously the Lakers may have messed up based on that.
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