While the Los Angeles Lakers were apparently interested in Klay Thompson before he agreed to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers’ pursuit of the future Hall of Famer may not have been as intense as previously thought.
According to sources, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka never communicated with Thompson this summer. ESPN’s Nick Wright explains.
“The Athletic reported that Rob Pelinka never actually got Klay [Thompson] on the phone… He got his agent on the phone… [He] is like straight to voice mail. What’s going on?"
Nick Wright on the Lakers offseason being a failure 👀
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 4, 2024
According to The Athletic, Rob Pelinka never reached Klay Thompson over the phone. He contacted his agent via phone. [He] goes directly to voicemail. “What is going on?”
Nick Wright says the Lakers’ offseason was a disaster. 👀
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Wright stated, “The Athletic claimed that Rob Pelinka never got Klay [Thompson] on the phone… He contacted his agent via phone. [He] goes directly to voicemail. “What is going on?”
Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are not alone in their disappointment. Klay’s father, former Lakers center Mychal Thompson, expressed disappointment that his son decided not move to Los Angeles.
“I’m not in a congratulatory mood right now,” Mychal Thompson admitted on SiriusXM. “You know, I mean, clearly it is Klay’s decision; it is his life, and he is an adult. 34 years old, same like we were 34 years ago, Scal, Frank, and our father used to give us counsel, and you know we’d go our own way, which was good. That is what life is supposed to be about, yet I am really disappointed. I was hoping, as you can see, that he would be a Laker. And it was close. It came down to the Lakers and the Mavericks, and the Mavs won out. But, you know, I was hoping and praying that he would conclude his career with the Lakers.”
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed LeBron James.
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers forward, attends a press conference at UCLA Health Training Center
Despite losing out on big roster enhancements, LeBron James is not leaving. After declining his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, which raised suspicion that he may accept other offers from other teams, LeBron has agreed to a two-year, $104 million contract with the Lakers.
The second year of James’ new deal includes a player option.
A return to the Lakers always felt like the obvious decision for LeBron. The Lakers had made it apparent that they wanted James to retire in Los Angeles, and the franchise had appointed JJ Redick as their new head coach after replacing Darvin Ham. Redick and James have co-hosted their ‘Mind the Game’ podcast since it began earlier this year, sparking anticipation that the Lakers will sign the former NBA veteran.
LeBron James will now enter his sixth season with the Lakers. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2018, James has averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the field. This past season, he hit a career-high 41.0 percent from three points.
