The Dallas Mavericks reeled in Klay Thompson with a solid sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors. However, the buzz around town is the Los Angeles Lakers made a serious push for the veteran guard and we may know the reason why Thompson chose Dallas over LA.
Los Angeles reportedly offered Klay Thompson more money than the Mavericks, according to Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews of ESPN. But Thompson was enamored with the Mavericks’ playoff run. Additionally, he wanted a “fresh start” and felt that playing for the Lakers would be too similar to playing for the Warriors.
“The team ultimately was willing to offer Thompson more years and more money than he accepted from Dallas. Sources said [LeBron] James was willing to take less and the Lakers were trying to make trades that would’ve cleared four years and nearly $80 million for Thompson.
“James had several deep conversations with Thompson about the idea of playing together, sources said. But something about playing for the Lakers apparently felt too much like playing for the Warriors. As one source close to him put it, ‘Would this be trading one fishbowl for another?'”