Father of Mavericks' Klay Thompson 'Trying' to Get Sharpshooter to Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks have made sharpshooter Klay Thompson available in trade talks, and while teams like the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are hoping he's bought out, the Mavs know that there's enough interest, so they're holding out.

It's hard to imagine the Mavericks getting much in return for Thompson, as most of his value will come from being an expiring contract at $17.46 million, but he is still a productive player.

In his second season in Dallas, Thompson averaged 11.7 PPG while shooting 38.3% from three. When you consider how poor the Mavericks' playmaking was last season, it's incredible that he was still shooting that well.

While the Miami Heat have been the primary team mentioned for him if he were to leave the Mavs, the Los Angeles Lakers have also been floated as a possibility, as it's been said he would be open to a return to the West Coast.

If his father has any say, he'll be donning the purple and gold before too long.

Thompson's father, Mychal, played in the NBA from 1978 to 1991, spending the final four and a half years of his career with the Lakers. Since then, he has worked with the Lakers radio team and still has a heavy rooting interest in the Lakers.

Someone tagged Mychal Thompson on X/Twitter on Thursday, saying, "Get back on it!" to which Thompson replied, "I'm TRYING..." with an angry face emoji. Someone said, "Try harder," and he responded, "I AM."

I’m TRYING…😡
— Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) August 6, 2026

Mychal Thompson might just be in Klay's ear, as it's hard to imagine a push for a trade from the former Laker.

People will remember that Klay chose the Mavericks over the Lakers, despite his father wanting him in LA, because he wanted to play with Luka Doncic and thought they were closer to competing for a championship.

A few months after signing, Nico Harrison traded Doncic to the Lakers, and the Mavericks quickly dropped out of championship contention.

Apr 7, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) gestures after scoring during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Trade Appearing Unlikely for Klay Thompson

As much as the Mavericks would like to get something of value back for Thompson, it's hard to imagine them getting back much.

Thompson is an older, rotation-level player, and not quite the All-Star that he used to be.

The Mavericks also still need to shed someone from the roster. They sit with 16 players on standard NBA contracts and will need to be at 15 by the start of the regular season. They have some time to figure that out, but Thompson being bought out could be the result.

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