The Los Angeles Lakers were a very logical destination this offseason for newly minted unrestricted free agent Klay Thompson.
Thompson grew up in Los Angeles and supported the Lakers. His father, Mychal Thompson, won two NBA championships with the organization as a player in the late 1980s and is currently a radio analyst for the team. Thompson was also personally offered by LeBron James to join Los Angeles, and the Lakers superstar was reportedly willing to accept less on his contract extension if Thompson signed with the purple and gold.
However, Thompson chose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, a career-changing decision that was made possible through a three-team trade with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets.
So why did Thompson decide to join Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving instead of running to the Bay Area with the Warriors or chasing another championship with James?
“Playing for the Lakers was apparently too much like playing for the Warriors,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews reported Wednesday. “As a source close to him put it, ‘Would it be like trading one fish tank for another?’”
Thompson wanted a fresh start in a new market. The Warriors have become a global brand since Thompson teamed up with Steph Curry on a star-studded team that forever changed the way NBA basketball is played. The Lakers have always been one of the best, if not the worst. THE—the most covered and talked about teams by experts and media in the NBA.
Thompson isn’t exactly looking to hide from the spotlight by choosing the Mavericks over the Lakers, Warriors and other teams in free agency. The Mavs are fresh off an NBA Finals appearance and are part-owned by one of the most outspoken owners in sports, Mark Cuban.
But Thompson wanted something different: new experiences for his 12th NBA season. And that’s what he’ll get in Dallas.
News Source : www.si.com
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