NBA Rumors: LeBron James has begun recruiting a big-name free agent for the Los Angeles Lakers as NBA Free Agency opens.
LeBron James may not be officially a Los Angeles Lakers after opting out of the final year of his career but that doesn't mean he isn't working overtime in an attempt to upgrade the roster this offseason. LeBron wasted little time in trying to recruit one of the bigger names to the Lakers once the NBA Free Agency period opened.
According to a recent report, LeBron began recruiting Klay Thompson shortly after the start of free agency. It's been reported that the Golden State Warriors and Thompson are going to part ways this offseason and with Paul George officially off the board, Klay now becomes the next big domino that will fall in free agency.
Heading into day 2, Klay is one of the few free agents that could end up reshaping the NBA. Especially if he were to join a contender like the Lakers, there's a very good chance that Klay could play a huge role in how the league's hierarchy. From all indications, Klay is likely going to take a bit of a pay cut to join a contender. Up until the start of free agency, the Dallas Mavericks were viewed as a potential favorite to land Klay.
Now that free agency has opened, that may have changed. However, Klay is expected to take meetings with teams, if that has not already happened, before making a decision on his future. If he does end up considering the Lakers, which would come as a surprise if he didn't, there's no question that LeBron is going to play a prominent role in his recruitment.
It's already been reported that LeBron was open to taking a pay cut for Klay and it will be interesting to see if he ends up following through with that.
Klay Thompson is the next big free-agency domino to fall
Heading into day 2 of NBA Free Agency, Klay is probably the next big-name who is going to make a decision on his future. Other than Klay, the other big name to keep a close eye on is DeMar DeRozan, but even he will likely wait a while for the rest of the market to reset before he makes a decision.
In fact, there's even a chance DeRozan waits for the trade market to settle itself a bit too. Even after Klay makes a decision, there is still expected to be a busy trade portion of the offseason. Now that the first big wave of free agency has passed, all eyes are on Klay.
Can LeBron and the Lakers sell him on a future in Los Angeles?