The Lakers could be the one team that could lure Klay Thompson away from the Warriors.
The Golden State sharpshooter, who hits free agency next season, showed his excitement about watching LeBron James play in his hometown, Los Angeles.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Thompson said, according to ESPN. “I don’t think you would have guessed it when he was with the Cavs when he started his rookie season, but it’s adding a ton of interest in the league, and the Lakers are about to get the usual media coverage that I was used to growing up.”
Thompson, who was born in Los Angeles, is reportedly No. 2 on the Lakers’ wish list for next season behind Kawhi Leonard, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. His father, Mychal, played for the Lakers in the late ’80s, when he won two NBA titles in the “Showtime” era. And Thompson is the exact type of sharpshooter who has thrived alongside James in the past.
“I think they like Mychal’s boy. I think that would be the guy, in terms of skill set and how that would fit,” Shelburne said recently.
The four-time NBA All-Star is owed $19 million through the end of the season. He’ll certainly command a max contract, which the Lakers have the ability to offer.
Thompson, 28, is one of the headliners in the 2019 class that includes Leonard and begrudged Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler. He has previously insisted he would like to retire with the Warriors.
“I would like to be a Warrior for life,” Thompson told the Mercury News in August. “Contract negotiations are way down the line. But I think we all have the same interest. I would love to be here for the rest of my career. … I’m going to be a free agent in 2019. Number one on my list would obviously be to stay with the Warriors.”


