Klay Thompson‘s year-and-a-half run with the Dallas Mavericks has been a big letdown. When his legendary tenure with the Golden State Warriors came to an end a year ago, he thought he was joining a title contender for the next couple of years. Instead, he saw the Mavs trade away top star Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving suffer a torn ACL.
It’s been all downhill since, and with the team off to an awful start this season, many around the NBA believe Dallas could start selling off contracts before February’s trade deadline. And according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon, the five-time All-Star could be one of them.
If they do move Klay Thompson in the next few weeks, here are five teams that could pursue a trade, including the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are unlikely to make a big blockbuster trade this season. But smaller moves to round out the roster are very possible. LA is near the bottom of the league in three-point attempts. While the 35-year-old is not the athlete he once was, he could be a nice addition as a knockdown three-point shooter for a team that has several gifted ball handlers. Plus, his grit and tons of playoff experience would be helpful on this team.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have hit a notable slump in recent weeks and have fallen down our latest NBA power rankings. While they are shooting the second-most threes in the league, they aren’t hitting enough of them and have the third-worst three-point percentage in the NBA (33.8%). Thompson is one of the best three-point shooters of his era and is shooting 41% from the arc for his career. The combo of him and Lonzo Ball could be an impactful one-time punch off the bench.
Orlando Magic
When he was available in free agency a year ago, the Orlando Magic were one of the teams that had serious interest in the four-time NBA champ. A year later, and they still need him. They are near the bottom in three attempts, and when they shoot them, they have one of the worst make percentages in the league. Not only would his shooting help, but this young team could use more veterans in the locker room with a bunch of big-game experience.
Golden State Warriors
Do the Warriors need another three-point expert? Probably not, but they need something because they are a team that isn’t even a lock to make the play-in tournament this season. They really haven’t been the same since Thompson left, and the Slater and McMahon piece focused on Steph Curry and Draymond Green’s frustration that the team did not keep him.
A surprise reunion before the deadline would still be a feel-good move even if it won’t make them a title contender.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have owned the best record in the East for much of the season. However, they have a clear weakness from behind the arc. They get up the third fewest threes in the league, and are below average at making them. Similar to the Magic, Thompson’s wealth of experience, along with his shooting, would be a nice help for Detroit in the second half and next season.
