Los Angeles Lakers: Why Klay Thompson is the best target next summer
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers buying out Luol Deng has opened enough cap space for a big move next summer, which has raised the question, who will the team pursue?
The Los Angeles Lakers made the best move the team could have made outside of signing LeBron James by agreeing to a partial payback and then an ensuing buyout with Luol Deng. Deng was owed $36 million over the next two seasons. The Lakers now have $41 million in practical cap space next summer, per Spotrac.
This has opened the door for the Lakers to pursue a superstar next summer to come in an join LeBron James. This seemed to be the master plan all along as the LeBron joined a Laker team with no true stars and the team exclusively signed one-year deals.
The biggest names on the market next summer include Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and DeMarcus Cousins. All four have had some sort of ties with the Lakers and all could be viable options to join LA.
However, there is one obvious favorite that has emerged from this group and his name is not the consensus pick, Kawhi Leonard. Instead, the favorite should be Klay Thompson.
His pre-existing connections to Los Angeles aside, Thompson is a great fit alongside LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers’ core. Here are the three biggest reasons why Thompson is the best target to pursue next summer for LA.