Lakers News: Could All-Star Prodigal Son Sign With His Hometown Team in Free Agency?

This five-time All-Star seems to be open to moving on from the only NBA franchise he's ever known.

May 8, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view of the Los Angeles Lakers logo at the Crypto.com Arena during game four of the 2023 NBA playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to enjoy a major bounceback this summer, following a fairly underwhelming season in 2023-24, during which the club went 47-35 and got booted in the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. L.A. responded by firing head coach Darvin Ham after just two seasons at the helm in early May, and is still somehow searching for his replacement, who will be the fourth head coaching hire from team president Rob Pelinka's front office since 2016.

Now, the team's focus is set to turn to its roster. Los Angeles can re-sign its own free agents starting today, and on June 30 can start bringing on others. The team needs help in a variety of areas to abet aging All-Stars Anthony Davis and Lebron James, but one key department is three point shooting. A longtime LeBron James playoff rival is, surprisingly, poised to hit the free agent market this summer.

Santa Margarita High School alum Klay Thompson has been unable to agree to terms on a contract extension with the Golden State Warriors, the only team he's ever known since it drafted him with the No. 11 pick out of Washington State in 2011. Is there a possibility that he signs on with his hometown team, for whom father Mychal was a Showtime Laker and remains the team's radio commentator?

Assuming All-Star forward LeBron James opts into his $51.4 million player option and starter D'Angelo Russell picks up his $18.7 million option, Los Angeles will be severely capped out. There's always the possibility of a sign-and-trade route, which could conceivably see Russell flipped to the Warriors once again to accomodate another, better-regarded free agent. Alternately Thompson could sign on with the Lakers to the team's taxpayer mid-level exception, but considering that he could presumably fetch something in the area of $15-25 million annually, even in his relative dotage as a 34-year-old with major injury history, he'd probably prefer figuring out a sign-and-trade. Given his history with Golden State, perhaps they would facilitate such a deal, even if it's too their own Pacific Division rivals.

After missing consecutive seasons with ACL and Achilles tears, the 6-foot-6 swingman is no longer the defensive stalwart he had been in his prime. However, the five-time All-Star and four-time champion remains a solid shooter. Across 77 games in 2023-24, Thompson averaged 17.9 points on .432/.387/.927 shooting splits (that three point rate arrives on nine triple tries a game), 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.

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