Klay Thompson’s upcoming move to Dallas is not going down well with everyone in the Thompson family.
His father, former Lakers star and current radio analyst Mychal Thompson, hoped his son would instead go to Los Angeles as a free agent.
“I’m really disappointed,” he said Tuesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I was hoping, hoping, as you can tell, that he was going to be a Laker. And it was a close call. It came down to the Lakers and the Mavs, and the Mavs won. But you know me, I was hoping and praying that he would finish his career with the Lakers.”
Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavericks on Monday, officially ending his incredible run with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson, who was drafted by the Warriors with the 11th overall pick in 2011, won four championships with the franchise and was a key part of the dynasty the team built alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and others.
Thompson averaged 17.9 points last season while shooting 38.7 percent from behind the arc. The 34-year-old’s scoring was his worst since the 2012-13 season, and last season was just the second season of his career that he shot worse than 40 percent from behind the arc.
Thompson’s decision on the free agent market came down to the Lakers and the Mavericks, where he now gets to team up with stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving after their run to the NBA Finals earlier this year. Naturally, when he heard the Lakers were being considered, Mychal tried to jump in and convince his son. Mychal played for the Lakers from 1987-91, winning two championships with the team.
“We always talked about him playing for the Lakers,” Mychal said. “If he wasn’t a Golden State Warrior, where else would he want to play? And of course, as a Kobe fan, he would have loved to play for the Lakers.
“But he had a chance, and when that chance came, he chose the Mavericks. And I’ll live with it. I accept it and I’m happy for him that he’s happy with his decision. But yeah, of course I tried to sell him to the Lakers.”
