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Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks hugs former teammate Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors after their game at Chase Center on November 12, 2024 in San Francisco, California.
Veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson reportedly prefers to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers if he gets bought out by the Dallas Mavericks, spelling bad news for a potential Splash Brothers reunion on the Golden State Warriors.
According to Lakers insider John Ireland, Thompson’s representation will call the Purple & Gold franchise if the Mavericks don’t find him a new home by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline and choose to buy out his contract.
“Klay did not sign up for a rebuild,” Ireland said on ESPN LA’s “Mason & Ireland” show last Thursday.
“Dallas is going to [do a rebuild], now that AD [Anthony Davis] is out. And if Klay got bought out, I have it on good authority that the first call his agent would make would be to the Lakers. Because he would love to finish his career here.”
Klay Wants Out of Dallas?
Ireland, who shares close ties to Thompson’s father, Mychal Thompson, added that the veteran sharpshooter could pursue a buyout due to the Mavericks’ current situation. In light of the injuries to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, there’s growing belief that the Mavs could part with all their veterans and usher in the Cooper Flagg era.
“Dallas has a bunch of young, quick, soon-to-be-rotational players at guard. They don’t need to play Klay and Kyrie this year,” Ireland said. “They’re not going anywhere. So let Kyrie take the year to get his knee better.
“Let Klay out of the deal because you’re not gonna play him when Brandon Williams and all these young guys are good, and the Lakers need to be ready to pounce when that happens.”
Thompson has only one year left on the three-year, $50M contract he signed with the Mavericks in 2024 after ending his 11-year stint with the Warriors.
Warriors Reunion Rumors
The chatter of a Thompson-Warriors reunion gathered steam after a recent report from ESPN’s Anthony Slater claimed that Thompson prefers to return to Golden State eventually to finish his storied career at some point in the future.
“Those around Thompson say they believe it could eventually happen because ‘there’s no one that carries more weight with Klay than Steph,’ one league source said.”
“But Curry would have to push for it,” added Slater.
The report also highlighted the possibility of Thompson signing a one-day ceremonial contract to finish his career as a member of the Warriors, the franchise he helped win four championships. Curry told ESPN that he expects his former Splash Brother to return on a one-day contract “at a minimum,” but didn’t rule out a full-time return.
“It would be unbelievable,” Curry said of a Thompson return.
“If that time comes and that conversation is had, of course I’m calling him and saying, ‘We want you back.’ And hopefully that would be a welcome message to him. But as we stand right now, that does seem like a far distant reality. But so did him leaving.”
When Thompson chose to sign with the Mavs in 2024, he reportedly had the Lakers as his first choice before expressing interest in playing with Luka Doncic. Now that Doncic is a member of the Lakers, Thompson may be keen to finish what he started.