The Lakers play their third pre-season game tonight, and their second against the Golden State Warriors. Lakers fans, if you haven’t already done so, pay attention to Warriors star, Klay Thompson.
He is the missing piece the Lakers can build around to propel them back into championship contention.
A message to the Lakers organization: Pursue Klay Thompson at all costs.
Thompson has made it very clear he is seeking a maximum contract extension now, before the October 31 deadline. This would most likely keep him tied up in the Bay area for the next several years, a trade becoming an unrealistic possibility. This, from a recent article on ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/nba/preview2014/story/_/id/11683092/klay-thompson-verge-big-score
Lakers Organization: Get in Thompson’s ear. Convince him to hold off on an extension. Give him the maximum contract at the perfect time when NBA revenues increase.
Thompson is a deadly assassin from the outside, has a great handle on the ball to make plays, and is a very good lockdown defender. He is a leader on the rise, an all-star in the making, has a killer instinct, and he is the real deal.
He has personal ties to the Lakers, as the son of former player turned NBA analyst, Mychal Thompson. He has made it clear in the past that he would have loved to play for the Lakers. He calls it a “dream come true” when he is playing against Kobe Bryant, whom he emulates.
Bryant is clearly seeking a worthy player he can pass the baton to when he is ready to retire. Of Thompson, Bryant recently said, “He has the whole package.”
The chemistry of Bryant and Thompson would be electric. Thompson’s outside shooting would open up the floor for Kobe to roam the inside. With the potential talent in rookie power forward, Julius Randle, should he emerge in the next couple of seasons as a true great, the Lakers would have an unstoppable nucleus to build role players around.
Lakers fans would embrace Thompson immediately as one of their own. If he is looking to be the #1 on a team, this is where he should be.
If Klay Thompson is going to be given a max contract by the Warriors, though, why should he leave?
The simple answer: Stephen Curry.
Curry is a fantastic player, but reminds me of an Allen Iverson. He is a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. Right now, Curry is THE man for the Warriors. He is the star. When you watch the dynamic between he and Thompson, you get the sense he understands Thompson is a necessary component to keep the Warriors relevant, but he will not go quietly if Thompson starts to truly command the spotlight. He simply won’t tolerate it.
The problem the Warriors face is that a team where the point guard is the star, rarely wins an NBA championship. The last 20 years of championships, dominated by the Bulls, Lakers, Spurs, and Heat have all had a power emphasis, not a point guard focus. Curry tends to be a bit injury-prone too. When he goes down, the team’s fortunes will as well. There isn’t enough on this team to win a championship now, and certainly not should Curry go down.
And after a few more seasons of disappointment in a strong Western Conference, when the Warriors realize they need to rebuild again, Thompson may be left as the star on a team struggling to even make the playoffs.
A max contract with the Warriors is great for financial security for Thompson, but for true championship glory, he is going to have to look elsewhere.
For this, he should look to the Lakers. For their future, the Lakers should look to Thompson.
It’s a win-win.