The Los Angeles Lakers are bound to bring in some very good stars in free agency this offseason. In the 2022-23 season, they stopped at the Western Conference final, allowing them to see the team's biggest problem.
They hope to lead the team to another championship in the final seasons of LeBron James' career. To this end, the US media "Fadeaway World" suggested that the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors make a mutually beneficial transaction and take Klay Thompson for three for one.
Golden State Warriors trade to get: Reeves, Hachimura Base, 2029 first-round pick
Los Angeles Lakers trade gained: Klay Thompson
The Lakers are once again forming the NBA's best Big Three
In fact, the Lakers lost money in this deal, and with Klay Thompson's state in the playoffs, he can be said to be close to the end of his career. If the Warriors' illegal cover block is still sought after by the league, Klay Thompson will continue to stay with the Warriors and have some room to play.
However, if he is not sought after now, his dividends will come to an end. The Golden State Warriors need Klay Thompson's low-post single-play ability, but he can't provide it, and many teams will defend Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry to the death. Stephen Curry is also 35 years old, and he can't play the entire series like he used to and still produce consistently.
Klay Thompson has a hard time getting good open three-point shots with the Warriors, but with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, things may not be the same. After all, the two can create excellent outside projection space for teammates, and LeBron James can still create more open opportunities for teammates.
But convincing the Lakers to trade Reeves, Hachimura and the 2029 first-round pick for Klay Thompson is obviously difficult, after all, Klay Thompson doesn't have a few seasons even if he is still in his prime. He has a lot of experience in the finals, but after two consecutive seasons, injuries prevent him from being as omnipotent as he was in his prime.
Now LeBron James' contract has 2 seasons left, if LeBron James' contract expires, join other teams or retire, Klay Thompson's big contract will rot in the team. Moreover, the Lakers will lose their only first-round pick in the next decade and send away two young players Reeves and Hachimura, which is also a chip that leads the Lakers into the post-LeBron James era without any reconstruction, which the Lakers do not want to see.
The Golden State Warriors traded one for three, and they didn't lose money
The Golden State Warriors want Klay Thompson to accept a four-year, $111 million contract. The Golden State Warriors should observe Klay Thompson's performance for another year, as Arenas said, to see how Klay Thompson performs in 2023-24, and then decide whether to renew Klay Thompson, and if he does not perform well, he can continue to lower the price, and if he performs well, give a four-year, $120 million contract extension.
Once Klay Thompson is dissatisfied with the Golden State Warriors' attitude of contract extension, he may force a palace trade, and the most likely team to go to is naturally the Los Angeles Lakers, where his father played. In the metropolitan team of Los Angeles, Klay Thompson can be said to have unlimited business opportunities, and the local taxes paid are much lower than those paid in the Golden State, which can make Klay Thompson's salary higher.
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Lakers in the playoffs in the 2022-23 season because Reeves and Hachimura were too good. The two are young and have potential and can be the cornerstone of the team's future. With Reeves, the Warriors could also consider trading Jordan Poole away. Or later, with Reeves and Jordan Poole as the core, create the next splash combination, as well as the strongest forward combination led by Hachimura and Wiggins.