Within just a couple of short weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers will start to look to make at least one big move in order to go from a good, playoff-caliber team to a legitimate championship-caliber team.
There have been plenty of rumors about who they may go after in order to accomplish that task. Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and Darius Garland have been mentioned as potential trade targets, as the Lakers could use an upgrade in the backcourt to get to the next level.
But one prominent media personality thinks that backcourt upgrade could come from a somewhat unexpected source.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, who is about to become a free agent, would like to become a member of the Purple and Gold.
Via Bleacher Report:
“In a perfect world Klay would love to be in Los Angeles,” Smith said Monday on First Take. “We all know that. I’m talking about the Lakers. I mean, could you imagine? There’s no space, they can’t do it, but that’s where he’d love to be.”
Thompson does have a family connection to the Lakers. His father Mychal played for them for four and a half seasons after being traded there midway through the 1986-87 season and won back-to-back NBA championships there in 1987 and 1988.
As a result, the younger Thompson grew up in Southern California.
His game has been diminished over the last three seasons after ACL and Achilles tears he suffered in 2019 and 2020, respectively. His shooting efficiency and game-to-game consistency have dropped, although some would still call him a very viable threat.
If the Lakers are to land the younger Thompson, he would either have to take a massive pay cut, or they would have to execute a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors. Given the decline in his game, it may not exactly be a smart decision for L.A. to give up valuable assets for him, especially given its poor track record with bringing in aging stars over the years.
The team does need more accurate volume 3-point shooting, something he used to excel at as much as almost anyone in basketball history, but his injuries have taken a bite out of his outside shooting potency.