The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly poised to make a max offer for shooting guard Klay Thompson, once he hits the free-agency market next summer, a source close to situation reported this week.
According to NBA insiders, the Lakers will be one of several teams willing to pay Thompson a contract worth at least $15 million per year.
With plenty of cap space next summer, Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers front office will have the luxury to sign another max player to play alongside and possibly succeed franchise player Kobe Bryant, who will pocket the next half of the two-year, $48 million contract extension he signed in 2013.
CSN Bay Area NBA insider Monte Poole reported that Thompson and the Golden State Warriors are still millions apart in their contract extension talk with roughly three weeks to go before October 31 deadline.
"The Warriors have 22 days to preemptively deliver a contract extension that will keep Klay Thompson with the franchise for at least another five years," Poole disclosed this week.
"But there has been no movement in recent weeks. As of Thursday morning, the sides remain $2-3 million a year apart, according to NBA sources. Thompson is seeking a max deal, or something close - at least $15 million per year - while the Warriors, according to sources, hover around $13 million per."
Entering his fourth NBA season, Thompson has blossomed to one of the best shooting guards in the league armed with efficient three-point shooting and lockdown defense on the other end of the court.
Last season, the 24-year old Thompson raised the bar even higher in his development, as he averaged 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 44 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc.
If his negotiation with the Warriors eventually collapses, many analysts believed the Lakers will try to snag him off the market by fielding a max contract on the table. Although the Warriors have the bird right to match any offer sheet, it would be much harder for Golden State to keep Thompson with four players already getting eight-digit salaries.
