The Dallas Mavericks are believed to be ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers in their pursuit of Klay Thompson. By already trading away Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons, the Mavericks have cleared the necessary space to acquire Thompson, while the Lakers still need to find their corresponding move.
"Ultimately, at the end of the day, they both could sign Klay outright," said Brian Windhorst on Get Up. "And when Klay makes his choice, he can go to either place. But, right now, I do believe the Mavericks are ahead, not only with Klay, but also in their pursuit of a transaction that works."
While the Golden State Warriors and Thompson have moved on from each other, they could work together on a sign-and-trade that helps him get to his preferred destination.
"I think the Mavericks can get Klay Thompson to a contract in the neighborhood of about $67 million, $68 million," added Windhorst. "That is now the goal the Lakers have to to try to hit themselves in a sign-and-trade package. So Klay is obviously going to take his time. We'll see how it plays out today, but I think it's really a stare down between the Mavericks and the Lakers at this point."
Windhorst reports that the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers previously had interest in Thompson, but both teams have made other signings since the start of the offseason to take them out of the running.
