Dallas Mavericks’ Klay Thompson Would Welcome Los Angeles As Landing Spot

DALLAS — Trade and buyout rumors have swirled around Dallas Mavericks wing Klay Thompson, whose future with Dallas is uncertain. Most recently, Christian Clark of The Athletic reported that Thompson would welcome a return to his hometown of Los Angeles.

The 36-year-old three-point marksman joined the Mavericks in the 2024 offseason after heavily considering a move to the Lakers. In the end, Thompson landed with the Mavericks on the belief that he had a better chance of winning a championship and getting open looks playing next to Luka Dončić. 

Unfortunately for Thompson, Dallas traded Dončić to none other than Los Angeles that season, landed the first overall pick and entered a reset around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Flagg’s emergence has given Mavericks fans greater clarity on the organization’s future but has left Thompson at a crossroads. 

His numbers have dropped across the board since arriving in Dallas. Last season, Thompson registered career lows in points, rebounds, and assists, as well as career lows in field-goal, free-throw, and three-point percentage. 

Still, 11.7 points per game on 38.3% shooting from beyond the arc can still be valuable to the right team.

Klay Thompson And The Lakers

Into the twilight stage of his career, Thompson wants a chance to add another ring to his collection after securing four titles across 11 seasons with the Golden State Warriors. With Dončić now on the West Coast, perhaps Thompson would fancy a reunion with the star guard. 

Thompson is certainly comfortable in California. He was born in Los Angeles and spent time in Oregon before moving back to Orange County, where he played high school ball at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Additionally, Thompson owns a home in Southern California.

Family lineage also helps. Thompson’s father, Mychal Thompson, spent five years with the Lakers. There, he won two NBA Championships and averaged 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. Nowadays, Mychal is a part of Los Angeles’ broadcast team, calling games for the Lakers.

If Thompson is eyeing Los Angeles as a potential destination, the proximity to his father would certainly be a contributing factor. 

The looming question in a Lakers-Thompson pairing lies with the team. Los Angeles currently has 16 players on its active roster, already needing to trim one spot before the start of next season.

It remains to be seen whether the Lakers reciprocate Thompson’s interest and it likely won’t help that Los Angeles will have to make some tough decisions if they want to bring the sharpshooter aboard.

Dallas Struggling To Find Suitors For Thompson

Thompson is set to make $17.46 million this upcoming season before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Mavericks have been gauging other teams’ interest in making a trade for Thompson, but have largely found no suitors.

The Miami Heat are known to be interested, but prefer not to make a trade for Thompson. Rather, Miami seems to be waiting for Dallas to engage in a buyout of Thompson, which would give the Heat a chance to restructure his contract for next season. 

Although a resolution still seems distant, it’s becoming more and more likely that Thompson and the Mavericks’ partnership is nearing an end.