Mavericks in tough pursuit of Klay Thompson in NBA free agency – NBC Sports Bay Area and California

In the hours before NBA free agency officially opens, the pursuit of Klay Thompson is heating up, with three teams racing to lure him away from the Warriors.

Both Los Angeles teams, the Clippers and Lakers, are exploring Thompson, who hits the free-agent market Sunday at 3 p.m. PT. Both have Klay’s lifelong attachment to the West Coast to their advantage.

However, there is a third team trying to lure Thompson into new territory: Dallas.

According to a league source, the Mavericks are making Thompson a priority. They envision one of the league’s best 3-point shooters, operating in the space created by the gravity of ball-dominant playmakers Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

When asked via text message whether the Mavs are targeting Klay as hard as their competitors, the source, who knows a lot about the Western Conference, responded with a one-word message: “Harder.”

Dallas can’t cite the Pacific Rim as a recruiting ground, but it can create a sign-and-trade package that offers more money than the Lakers or Clippers (limited to the $12.9 million mid-level exception) can offer.
The Mavericks, with only Doncić and Irving on contracts worth more than $15 million, won’t shy away from a sign-and-trade deal that would give Thompson a three-year contract that exceeds $50 million.

Would a three-year deal with the extra money be more attractive to Klay than joining the Lakers? This is the team he championed as a teenager, the franchise where his father, Mychal, won two NBA championships and works as a color analyst on the radio.

Would a three-year deal with the Mavericks, a legitimate contender who reached the 2024 NBA Finals, be more important than staying on the West Coast?

The Lakers and Clippers could theoretically create salary cap space without making a trade.

That’s where the Warriors come in. In the sign-and-trade scenario that guarantees Thompson a bigger payday, they’ll have to decide if any of Dallas’ available players are attractive. Maxi Kleber ($11 million)? Maybe not. A more likely path for Golden State would be to bring in at least one other team.

There’s little doubt that the Warriors would rather see Thompson join the Mavericks in this instance, if only so they don’t end up empty-handed.

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