Mark Cuban On Why Klay Thompson Picked Mavs Over Lakers

One of the biggest moves of the NBA offseason ended up being Klay Thompson’s decision to join the Dallas Mavericks.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers made a strong play for Thompson’s services – but ultimately he passed.

The real reason for Thompson’s decision didn’t emerge until many weeks later.

This week Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban revealed the details behind why Thompson ultimately preferred the Mavs to the Lakers.

“Credit goes to Nico and Kyrie, and J Kidd. They know him, they played with him, they understand him. That’s literally why we brought Nico Harrison in, because of his relationships with players,” Cuban told Shannon Sharpe.

“They went out and spent time with him, got to know him better. And really, I think Klay was ready for a move. All the grief he got last year, particularly the way it ended [With Golden State]. The timing was right. Kudos to Klay for being willing to make the move and Kudos to Nico, J-Kidd, and Kai for making it happen.”

It’s pretty telling that Jason Kidd and Kyrie Irving were able to close the deal here and James was not.

Clearly they have more sway with players around the league.

Will Thompson ultimately be a difference maker for a Mavs team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals last year? Time will tell.

Carlos Garcia

A longtime Sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB Games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.