Heading into the off-season, Klay Thompson emerged as the star of the show. The Golden State Warriors star guard has been in the headlines ever since he declined to re-sign with the team. Following that, the media bombarded the NBA world with raining rumors. Now that Thompson is officially a free agent, the business gets a bit serious from here on. The 4x NBA Champ already has franchises lining up to trade him. However, two latest updates from the trade city can change the 34-year-old star’s course.

Moments after China Klay officially entered the free agency, Shams Charania listed the teams that the star has shown interest in meeting. It included the LA Lakers, Clippers, Mavs, and the Sixers. However, it could change, especially after the following two recent trades. Firstly, the Denver Nuggets‘ championship-winning guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope opted out of the $15.4 million player option. And he signed a 3-year $66 million contract with the Orlando Magic, as per Adrian Wojnarowski.

On the other hand, Kevin Porter Jr., after missing out on last season with a domestic assault case, made a return to the NBA world. According to Charania, the LA Clippers have roped in the 24-year-old for a two-year contract. You may wonder how these two unrelated trades would affect the Klay Thompson trade. Let’s find out!

Most favorable destinations for Klay Thompson

1. Los Angeles Lakers

There isn’t a better place for Klay Thompson other than LA if he considers a fairy tale ending. After all, he is an LA native and the son of a Lakers legend. Who wouldn’t want to end their career there?

Plus, Klay even has the King’s approval stamp. Yes, if rumor mills are to be believed, LeBron James tried getting in touch with Klay as soon as the free agency hours started. And then as per Rich Paul, LeBron would love to trade in players like him and James Harden and Jonas Valančiūnas. But since Harden and Valančiūnas aren’t available anymore, it only leaves him with sharpshooter Thompson as the best appealing player right now.

Bron is really looking forward to such additions since he’s already agreed to even take up financial sacrifices too. With his pay cut, the team’s cap space will open up by $13.1 million, to rope in MLEs for around $8 million. So even when this is enough to bring Klay in, the Lakers can opt for the sign-and-trade method, giving a few assets to the Warriors.

2. Denver Nuggets

Even with the dominance that the Nuggets have with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, they could not really keep up their Championship title of 2023. And then, top make things worse, KCP is in free agency, doing nothing but further reducing the Nuggets’ chances at another ring.

KCP had the perfect role of “catch and shoot” in Denver, which he could possibly take with him to Orlando soon. This will definitely create a major void on the Nuggets’ roster, which perhaps Klay Thompson can fill.

3. Dallas Mavericks

The 2023-24 season’s runner-ups, Dallas Mavericks only have to focus on one thing to not lose their chances at a championship next season – getting a third star to support their other two superstars, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. For many years, the Mavs struggled to create space on the floor. It’s because the superstar had minimum options around them to throw the ball to shoot. Moreover, this franchise could entice Thompson because of its ability to have a crack at the ring. The experts also consider the Mavs as the frontrunner of the trade, as they claim, the 4x Champ is “intrigued” with the roster and how he can fit in. Adding to that, the latest Tim Hardaway Jr. trade will enable the team to make the necessary cap space to accommodate China Klay.

The initial reports included the Clippers and 76ers as the probable landing spots. However, the franchises seemed to have backed out of the race. The Clippers, who have lost their superstar, Paul George, aggressively pursued to find a suitable replacement. Notably, James Harden reportedly will re-sign with the Clips for a two-year deal. Apart from that, the team has also roped in Kevin Porter Jr., but the trade value is yet to be disclosed. So, the LA side has practically walked out of the deal with their latest activities in the free agency market.

On the other hand, the Sixers with a cap space of $61 million (approx) can trade Thompson without breaking a sweat. But, the team has also emerged as the front-runner for the PG-13 trade. Apart from filling in George, the team has to re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tyrese Maxey as well. Moreover, the team has already re-signed Oubre for a two-year deal worth $16.3 million. Additionally, Marc Stein, the NBA insider, stated that Daryl Morey has promised to sign a 5-year contract worth $200 million to Maxey. These free-agency moves will definitely make a massive dent in the bulbous cap space. Hence, both the Clippers and Sixers are off the race to land Klay Thompson.