Klay Thompson's cryptic IG post fuels Lakers rumors among fans amid Warriors career turbulence

Klay Thompson’s future with his longtime team, the Golden State Warriors, has been looking bleaker by the day, as an Instagram story he posted on Monday added more fuel to online speculation of his transfer to another team.

Thompson posted a picture of himself alongside his father, Mychal Thompson, when he was playing with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s.

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While this could be a Father’s Day post from Thompson, fans cannot help but speculate that the four-time NBA champion might be headed to the Lakers.

“The answer @KlayThompson @Lakers 💜💛,” a fan said on X.

“@KlayThompson post on his IG story. Klay to the Lakers confirmed?” another fan suggested.

“Klay Thompson to the Lakers actually makes sense Legacy wise, play for the team your father played for to cap off your career 🙏🙏🙏,” one fan wrote.

Some Lakers fans also expressed their excitement about the possibility of adding a veteran shooter like Thompson to their team.

“If Klay Thompson goes to the Lakers…omg,” said one fan.

“Klay Thompson redemption season on the lakers will feed families,” one fan said.

“Klay Thompson to the Lakers would excited me,” another fan said.

Interestingly, Klay has unfollowed the Warriors on Instagram and subsequently removed all Warriors content from his profile.

Thompson and the Warriors have not agreed to a contract extension. The team remains adamant about offering him $30 million per year, allowing him to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Any team with enough cap space can lure him out of Golden State and potentially become only his second team since being drafted by the Warriors in 2011.

Klay Thompson will turn 35 next season and is still a valuable contributor. He averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 43.2% shooting, including 38.7% from beyond the arc.

LA Lakers' cap space poses problems in Klay Thompson's interest

The Lakers do not have much in their cap space to make an offer to Thompson.

LA’s spending power relies on their mid-level exception worth $5.2 million or the veteran minimum, which is projected to be around $3 million to $12 million.

If they are willing to snag Klay, the Lakers have to perform a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors. The only catch is that the Warriors are not legally allowed to do a sign-and-trade unless they waive Chris Paul’s $30 million contract.

The only way the Lakers could bring in Thompson is if he takes a massive discount and accepts a salary of, at most, $12 million.

Other teams also rumored to be interested in Thompson are the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder, who all have enough cap space to offer Thompson $20 million to $30 million in the offseason.