ESPN: High rated five-star player decline request to join Lakers choose close rivals.

In an interview with Sirius XM Radio, Mychal Thompson, a former player for the Los Angeles Lakers and current team broadcaster, expressed his initial disappointment when Klay Thompson chose to accept a free-agent contract with the Mavericks.

Mychal Thompson, a former Los Angeles Laker and current Lakers commentator, offers his opinion on his son Klay’s decision to join with the Dallas Mavericks on the most recent episode of NBA Dads Say the Darndest Things.

In the end, Klay Thompson signed a three-year, $50 million sign-and-trade agreement with the Golden State Warriors after selecting Dallas over the Lakers as his free agent destination. After making it to the NBA Finals in 2024, the Mavs are focused on winning now, while the Lakers are, well, what the heck are they doing? According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Lakers were proposing a higher salary each season as well as the chance to extend the LA contract by one year.

Mychal Thompson had a 13-year NBA career that began when he was selected first overall in the 1978 NBA Draft out of the University of Minnesota. He spent the final four and a half seasons (1986–1991) playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Lakers. He played during the Showtime Era Lakers’ downfall after winning two championships (1987 and 1988), and he is currently a Lakers broadcaster.

Considering everything, it makes sense that Mychal would want his kid to play for the Lakers. Ask Jalen Brunson; family ties and history have a strong attraction. However, at 34, this contract represents Klay’s last best chance to be a significant player on a successful team, and that probably had an even greater influence on Klay’s choice of actions. It was therefore quite startling to hear Mychal Thompson’s response to Klay’s choice during a Tuesday appearance on Sirius XM Radio.

Mychal made the following comments regarding his son’s choice to play for Dallas rather than the Lakers.

“Grab your congrats. Right now, I’m not in the mood to congratulate anyone too much. Of course, it’s Klay’s choice; at 34, he’s an adult, and it’s his life. It’s okay that, like when we were that age, our fathers occasionally gave us guidance but we ultimately made our own decisions. That is the intended purpose of life. However, I was quite dissatisfied. It was a tight call between the Lakers and the Mavs, but the Mavs prevailed, which is what I had hoped would happen.

However, as you well aware, I was fervently hoping that he would conclude his career with the Lakers. I obviously attempted to pitch being a Lakers player. My belief in this series is what makes it the right thing for me to do, and I felt that this was the right decision. It’s a franchise that has been really kind to Klay, my family, and me. He was a lifelong Laker supporter. Like most young people his age, he grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant.

We used to joke about him playing for the Lakers if he wasn’t a Golden State Warrior, so I just felt like it was the right time for him to return home. I’ll put up with it. I’ll take it and am glad for him that he made the right choice, but naturally, I tried to convince him to play for the Lakers.