According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers are discussing a potential deal that would send Klay Thompson to the Lakers in exchange for the No. 7 overall pick. Golden State would then swap that pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a package for Kevin Love.
Lakers in talks to acquire Warriors' Klay Thompson for seventh pick in next week's draft, The Times has learned. http://t.co/nx0wyW7Hts
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) June 21, 2014
The Lakers have been in discussions to acquire Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson for the seventh pick in next week’s draft, The Times has learned.
The deal would be part of a larger three-way trade that sends Minnesota All-Star power forward Kevin Love to the Warriors. The Lakers are interested but the deal has been put on hold because of a difference in opinion within the Warriors’ organization whether or not to keep Thompson while trying to obtain Love.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Pretty much everyone is split over whether Golden State should offer up Thompson in any potential Love deal. In the end, Golden State likely won’t have a choice. Any deal that would send Love to Northern California almost certainly needs to involve Thompson, who has seen his value skyrocket after a stellar 2013-2014 campaign.
It also must be noted that Warriors general manager Bob Myers called a Love deal “unlikely” at this point in a media session with Bay Area reporters on Friday. Based on what we know of the engaging Myers, that could be nothing more than a PR game in case Thompson is not moved.
For the Lakers, Thompson would likely move to the four until Kobe Bryant retires, eventually replacing him as the Lakers star shooting guard moving forward. If they’re able to land him for the seventh pick and nothing else, that would be a minor coup.
Photo: NBA.com