It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers made their move on ex-Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson the moment NBA free agency open. In fact, LeBron James reportedly gave Thompson a call to try and recruit him to Hollywood.
According to reports, however, it was actually LeBron who played an integral role in Thompson’s contract negotiations with Golden State breaking down.
Golden State Warriors News: How LeBron James Influenced Klay Thompson’s Decision to Leave
LeBron himself didn’t know, though. In fact, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer personally had nothing to do with how Thompson grew tired of the Warriors pushing back their contract offer for him multiple times.
According to a report by Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews of ESPN, it all boiled down to the Warriors’ failed attempt to trade for James during the season:
“By the time this offseason arrived, Thompson’s representatives had proposed at least four contracts to the team. Each time, throughout the season, the response from the Warriors was that Thompson and his camp needed to wait while the franchise tried to improve the team in other deals. Most notably, sources said, were efforts to trade for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Brooklyn Nets swingman Mikal Bridges, LA Clippers star Paul George and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen,” read the report.
This latest news bit supports previous reports indicating that Thompson’s future in Golden State was never really a priority for the front office. In fact, to a certain extent, one could argue that the Warriors led Klay on.
After failing to strike a deal with LeBron and the other players mentioned, the Warriors had time after the trade deadline to try and work out a deal with Thompson. They never did.
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