Lakers or Mavericks? Stephen A. & Shannon’s HOT DEBATE over Klay Thompson’s future | First Take

Lakers or Mavericks? Stephen A. & Shannon’s HOT DEBATE over Klay Thompson’s future | First Take

LeBron James who opted out of the final year of his final year with the Los Angeles Lakers to work out a new deal how much money he’ll demand will depend on the situation according to his agent Rich Paul LeBron would be willing to take a pay cut in order to sign an impact player to help them win a championship Klay Thompson would be one veteran LeBron would consider Shannon sharp which team gives Klay Thompson a better chance at winning the title the Lakers or the Dallas Mavericks I know I know the Lakers are a little older because I know LeBron look how they’ve got to be at some point in time Stephen the man can’t keep averaging 25 s and eight for perpetuity at some point in time they has to be a decline coming somewhere doesn’t it windy but when you have an Anthony Davis that’s going to give you 25 and 11 25 and 12 you got LeBron giving you 25 s and eight and if you compare clay clay will never have as many wide open shots you remember when Kevin Durant first got there and everybody was keying on uhh KD and and Steph and Kay was shooting wide open uh a shoot around threes this is exactly what he would have in in uh in LA because LeBron is going to command a double team uh uh ad will command a double team he will be shooting wide openen threes the question can he get back to shooting knocking down at 42 43% if he can I think look he can’t go wrong you mentioned Stephen A 14% State tags versus zero but I would love to see him in a Lakers uniform he grew up rooting for the Lakers Kobe is his favorite player his dad’s on the radio broadcast for the Lakers Lakers we going to the Western Conference with st we get to the Western with with Clay we’ll guarantee I’m guaranteed it right now Western Conference Finals with Klay Thompson okay I respect that you’re a Lakers fan and I can appreciate that you would love to see the Lakers have Klay Thompson I think a lot of people would even if they don’t have any r interest but you can’t honestly say that the team that just won the Western Conference doesn’t have a better chance with Klay Thompson than the Lakers that’s not an honest answer Shannon seriously you seriously think the team that just won the West come on man that’s not that’s not honest that’s I respect you I respect you for your team they just won the Western Conference and they’re adding clay come on what hold up but hold on no no no no no you don’t get to start at the Western Conference next year and then go to the NBA finals if you win you got to start from the scratch ground up but they’re not starting from scratch I’m just saying they’re starting from the champion level you you lo you lost one of your wing you lost one of your wing Defenders and Derek Jones yes you still have some quality you have bigs you have a lively you have Gafford yeah you have some harder ways gone but still with LeBron and AD and a shooter think about how many times we came out here Wy and we talked about if they could just have guys to knock down open shots and you going to have a guy that can knock down for the better part of his career he’s knocked down those shots last year not withstanding well what you what we’re talking about here is what Clay is trying to decide because right now every break that we’re here my phone is lighting up the the Warriors are are going to sign and trade I believe clay to either the Lakers or the Mavericks and they are for the last 12 hours the Lakers and the Mavericks have been uh scrapping trying to figure figure out a way to make the most competitive offer to Clay financially so there are other deals sitting on the tarmac waiting to get done if clay chooses that team from what I understand the Lakers have ancillary deals and the Mavericks have ancillary deals to send players out this isn’t going to be a mid-level signing LeBron can still take a pay cut to help the Lakers here um put together a better package but this is not going to be a mid-level signing I don’t think I think these teams are going to make a trade I assume it’s D’Angelo Russell but I don’t know would get send out um the Mavericks have already sent out Tim Hardaway but they could be sending out even other players to create so there’s a right now the most interesting thing going on in the NBA is the behind the-scenes machinations that that that they’re going on between the Mavericks and the Lakers to get him because Shannon they do believe what you’re talking about they e both of them believe getting Klay Thompson is the piece that can take them to the Western Conference title next season and LeBron is is obviously you know LeBron’s not like over berly putting pressure on the Lakers but by him saying that he’s going to take a pay cut he’s like basically saying please do everything you can and this was after Rob pinka came out and said hey we’re not really sure we want to trade our future draft picks we want to kind of develop our players LeBron’s like please please I’ll take less money it’ll cost me 10 15 million and so they’re trying to do it now how that works out the rest of today we’ll see but um you could make a strong case for both of these teams I just think that joining the Mavericks with Luca and Kyrie and what they got going and by the way they’ve already replaced I’m sorry Stephen A they’ve already replaced Derrick Jones they’ve got Naji Marshall coming from the New Orleans Pelicans he’s an underrated player that was a good pickup yesterday I like that pickup as well I will say this real quick I don’t I’m not going to Sly dispense I’m not saying you’re wrong Wy but I’m not going to summarily dismiss the point that Shannon made the Los Angeles Lakers were in the Western Conference Finals the very next year they got bounced out in the first round the Denver Nuggets won the championship they get bounced out in the second round losing three games on their home turf just because you did what you did last year doesn’t mean that it’s going to translate into you doing the same or more this upcoming season I also think you have to take into consideration what Luca donic brings to the table we know how offensively brilliant He Is We also know he can be a ball hog from time to time it’s one thing for Kyrie Irving to feed off of that and them going back and forth It’s My Turn it’s your turn it’s your turn it’s my turn number two in the league in threo shooting attempts they ranked number 13 percentage-wise that’s the antithesis of the Los Angeles Lakers they were like 28th in three-point shooting attempts but number eight overall in percentage shooting and not only that they didn’t show up in big moments so what you have is a situation where if you’re Klay Thompson yeah they’re jacking up threes in Dallas but they’ve got Luca to do it they’ve got Kyrie to do it and you have to be def differential to them before you get yours whereas in Los Angeles you got a D kicking the ball out to you you’ve got LeBron James drawing detention and finding you to kick the ball out to you and you have a team in the Los Angeles Lakers who would prioritize making sure you got attempts because that’s what they brought you there for now talking about fit you’re not talking about who’s a better team is a better team well I understand that but what I’m but what I’m saying to you is that again we say that but if LeBron James and the Lakers had gone up against Kyrie and the Dallas Mavericks what would have happened in that situation they won one playoff game I understand Mavericks won 13 playoff game tell about but they won one playoff game against a Denver Nuggets team that the Dallas Mavericks intentionally avoided facing which is why they had the seating that they had so they could have to avoid Denver because they anticipated that they were G to have to go up against Denver and they didn’t want to do it before the Western Conference Finals we can’t forget that either I’m just saying those are points to bring up but I don’t think that clay will go to the Lakers I’m hearing he’s going to Dallas because obviously he wouldn’t want to put the Golden State Warriors in a pinch where they got to do a deal with I think the Lakers are still very much in it very much I hope let me ask can ask Ste hey let me ask you both of you guys a question when you say LeBron James willing to take a haircut are they going to take a little bit well he ain’t got much on the top but are they going to take a little off the side or they gonna give him the Cojack special I just need to know cuz for 55 million all the way down to what Stephen a 45 40 or you talking about going under 30 you hey Wendy I think shanon Wendy and Wendy knows this Wendy know this I think they’re talking about cutting them from about 50 nearly 51 to down about 38 is that correct this is so complicated guys it has to do with the aprons it has to do with how much money they would get him in a sign and trade for but I’m just going to point something out two deals got to get made the Lakers got to make a deal for D’Angelo Russell and then they got to make a deal with the Warriors two deals for Klay Thompson the the Mavericks it’s a little simpler they’ve already made a deal with Tim Hardaway that gives them a little bit more flexibility in dealing with the Warriors remember you got to get Clay’s commitment and then you got to get a deal with with the Warriors it can be done it will be done but just keep that in mind but is this is very complicated but I’m telling you rob pinka and Nico Harrison are working their tails off right now to figure out how to get Klay Thompson on their team Shannon Wendy okay so we just gonna BL we gonna blend the F Stephen A we just gonna blend LeBron fade we ain’t GNA take too much you know he ain’t got much on the top we just going he’s have to give it up no it’s gonna cost it’s GNA cost he’s gonna have to give it up talk about talk about LeBron having to give up something and just as an as side before we go to break here you know if you’re Tim Hardway lesson learned for a lot of these players out there Tim Hardway was streaky throughout his career but we know he’s capable of exploding even though he did that in garbage time in game four what have you you go from the western conference champions to what one would argue as basketball Purgatory right now to Detroit Michigan that’s what happens when you allow slippage to kick in in your game or at least in the eyes of a culture or an organization up [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Brian Windhorst and Shannon Sharpe debate whether the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks is the better option for Klay Thompson to win another NBA Title.

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