Lakers News: Los Angeles Attempted to Trade Starter for Klay Thompson

Los Angeles attemped to trade this starting guard to acquire Klay Thompson.

May 6, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) moves the ball as guard Austin Reaves (15) provides coverage against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first half in game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers' off-season has been a complete dud thus far. Time after time, the Lakers have failed to land a quality free agent, and the past 24 hours have not been fun for the purple and gold. The Lakers were in talks to acquire four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson until the Dallas Mavericks came in and scooped him up. 

Now, this leaves the Lakers with limited options. The Lakers had an opportunity to acquire Thompson, but the Warriors weren't willing to acquire starting guard D'Angelo Russell in exchange. 

According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the Lakers attempted to move Russell to land Thompson, but the Warriors declined. 

"I was told the Lakers made a pretty compelling offer," Haynes said. "It was around a three-, four-year mark somewhere along the lines of 20 million per. And they didn't get their guy.

"And it was gonna take, obviously, a sign-and-trade scenario, so that had nothing to do with LeBron James' decision to take less. It was gonna take a sign-and-trade to get Klay, and it did not — it just did not happen. I was told that it would have likely involved D'Angelo Russell being a part of a deal to get Klay. And from what I was told, the [Golden State] Warriors weren't interested in bringing back D'Angelo Russell."

If the Warriors had agreed to Russell, he would have returned to the Bay Area, where he spent half a season in 2019-20. Russell was traded to Golden State in a sign-and-trade package for superstar Kevin Durant. 

The Lakers are doing everything in their power to offload Russell's contract, and so far, from this report, they are 0-for-1. The veteran point guard recently opted into his player option worth $18.7 million and wants to remain a Laker. However, his time in Los Angeles has been a roller coaster. We'll see if Rob Pelinka can pull a rabbit out of a hat and bolster the roster in the coming days/weeks. 

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