"It would have been dope" - LeBron James' teammate regrets Lakers missing Klay Thompson signing in free agency
Before Klay Thompson decided to join the Dallas Mavericks, several reports were linking him to the Lakers. As a LeBron James team-up with the marksman didn't come to fruition, Lakers guard Austin Reaves couldn't help but admit how that tandem would have been special.
Reaves' comments were shared on X, formerly known as "Twitter," by Warriors on NBC Sports.
"It would have been dope," Reaves said. "I love Klay. I like his mentality towards the game. I like a lot of things about him. ... He's definitely a professional at the highest level. You tip your hat to a guy like that. ... He should have the biggest standing ovation when he comes back next year. ... He's a hell of a player and a Hall of Famer."
Thompson's 11th and final season with Golden State saw a decrease in his efficient production that fans and the league have grown accustomed to over the years. He shot just 43.2% from the field and 38.7% on 3-pointers, which were both the second-lowest marks of his career.
It would have been interesting to see him paired with an effective playmaker in LeBron James in LA, but he decided to team up with Luka Doncic in Dallas.
LeBron James talked about the Lakers missing out on big acquisitions in the NBA offseason
Some Lakers fans might have been disappointed in seeing the reports of Klay Thompson signing with the Mavericks and DeMar DeRozan joining the Sacramento Kings all over their social media feed.
Be that as it may, LeBron James has chosen to keep his chin up and acknowledge that it just wasn't meant to be, as per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
"I think our front office, our coaching staff, they tried to do the job that they wanted to do or tried to get guys to come and it didn't happen," James said. "And that's okay. That's part of the business. ... We move on and Klay's a great player. Obviously, DeMar's a great player. ... but we move on to see how we continue to get better."
Following this year's first-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, some tweaks to the roster could have strengthened the team's chances of going on a deep playoff run. As of now, it remains to be seen if the Lakers can still pull off a big offseason move before time runs out.